Refraction
by Irritus185
Summary: Seeing to the heart of matters – what would you do if you could read another’s heart? Use it against them, help them, or ignore them? The best of intentions can cause the worst results, and a person’s heart is the ultimate Pandora’s Box.
1. Colored World V2

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto, believe it!...Dear god, did I just say that? NOOOOOO!!!!! _(mind breaks)_

**Refraction****  
Chapter 1: Colored World  
By Irritus185**

Kekkai genkai.

The most desired genetic trait of any shinobi clan. If your clan has a bloodline limit, then your status immediately skyrockets in the eyes of all those around you. You are imperial, majestic…wanted. To have one of these beautiful and powerful abilities means that you are better than the rest, that your ancestors were better than the rest, and that your descendants will always be better than the rest. It is a symbol of might, of importance.

The odd thing is that it's only a mutation created by unstable DNA. Bloodline limits are nothing more than that – a freak accident that happened amongst genes. The only difference between them and a genetic illness is that the kekkai genkai are, well…accepted. All in all, having one did make you important, but it also labeled you as a freak.

Some may agree, while others may violently oppose that concept. But that is neither here nor there at the moment. There are more important things that need to be discussed.

Now, we must come to a point in time when things are about to become complicated, change that will have ramifications beyond anything you could possibly imagine, events that will warp the very structure and prestige that kekkai genkai are based on.

In other words, the world is about to fall into chaos.

For you, gentle readers, are about to see the creation of a brand new kekkai genkai, never once shown to the world before. It is probably the greatest and subtlest of bloodline limits, one that will change how the world will be viewed from then on.

Too bad it's also going to appear in the worst person possible.

RRRRRR

Naruto Uzumaki was just a normal young boy. He had his teenage crushes (Sakura-chan!), ramen was his favorite food, and he enjoyed taking care of the small garden on his apartment's window still. However, things begin to take a turn for the absurd when the rest of his life is brought to light.

He was a genin, the lowest rank of ninja.

Currently, he was also fighting for his life against a rather gender-confused individual, and for the life of him couldn't figure out if Haku was actually a boy or a girl. Not that he knew this as the person was currently wearing a mask to hide his/her(?) identity.

To add to that, he was also the human container, a jinchuuriki, of the dreaded and feared Kyuubi no Kitsune, a terrible chakra construct that nearly destroyed his hometown of Konoha when he had just been born. Because of this, Naruto had spent the majority of his life hated for a crime he did not commit nor did he have any knowledge of until just recently.

Coincidentally, the person that sealed Kyuubi inside of Naruto was his late father, Minato Namikaze, the fourth Hokage and previous leader of Konoha.

It must also be mentioned that his rival and perhaps friend Sasuke, the last of Konoha's prestigious Uchiha clan and owner of the heavily desired Sharingan, was just killed by the previously mentioned gender-confused individual. And that Naruto, in reaction to this, has tapped into Kyuubi's endless yet highly aggressive, corrupted, and demonic storage of chakra, turning him into a feral beast.

Now we must step back for a moment and look at this scene.

Naruto repels Haku's senbon. Naruto breaks Haku's Makyou Hyoushou. Naruto smashes Haku in the face, cracking the faux-hunter nin's mask like a cheap nut.

At this point it becomes obvious that things are taking a turn for the better.

However, it is also at this point that things will irrevocably begin to change. Having two extremely powerful bloodlines running through him from his mother and father; having not one, but two kekkai genkai activated around him in and "humming" in resonation, one for the very first time; and then having Kyuubi's chakra flood into him like water from a high-pressure hose, it's surprising the upcoming result didn't happen before.

Then again, a little luck never hurt.

RRRRR

Naruto panted as he stared at Haku, running the words that the boy (or was it girl?) had said through his head. The story of pain, of hatred, of fear. He could understand the loneliness that Haku felt, the sheer emotions that ran between them.

They were the same. He was unwanted because of his association with Kyuubi. Haku was hated because of the bloodline in his veins. And yet neither of them of had asked for such a burden; it was simply forced upon them.

Zabuza had given her a reason to live. Haku could be the missing mist nin's tool. Being Hokage had given Naruto a reason to live. He could prove to those around him that he wasn't useless. They would live for their dreams and they would die for their dreams. Naruto could understand this.

He just didn't want to.

Could he kill her…really?

He jerked a kunai from his pouch, blinking as a sudden itching overcame his eyes. Was it from anger over Sasuke's death, the tears he refused to shed or even produce, or simply a by-product of Kyuubi's minor emergence into the world?

Slowly, something began to stir in his genes.

"Is this the only way?" he asked, half pleading, half frustrated.

Haku stared directly at him, never wavering from looking into his eyes. He smiled proudly, sadly. "Yes!"

Grimacing, Naruto closed his eyes, clenching his kunai tightly, so tightly his knuckles popped from the stress. His eyes were beginning to burn. Snapping them open, his mouth set into a firm, tight line. What more could he do?

A flash, and a thin line of silver began to wrap around his pupils, cutting through his irises like a knife through the sea.

"Please…fulfill your dreams!"

Naruto glanced around, catching Sasuke's body out of the corner of his eye. A dream. What was the point of this dream? If it meant killing so cruelly, sealing off your own heart…was it worth it?

The line connected with its ends, forming a ring of silver that shined and twinkled like a faraway star.

He dashed forward, waiting, hoping that was about to happen would not. Coming closer with each step, a dream about to be tainted by blood, he raised his arm, his eyes about to close to block out the killing strike.

And then the ring began its rotation.

Naruto stopped, digging his heels into the ground. His arm fell down, away from the stab he was about to perform. Haku watched in shock as the action that would end his life did not come. Naruto simply dropped his jaw, pointing at the ninja. His eyes were wide, an almost imperceptible shine emanating from them.

"What…what the hell is that?"

Ribbons of light erupted from Haku, showering her with various streams of colors. They wrapped themselves around her body, clinging like clothes, falling off at random intervals, dancing on some non-existent wind. Blotches of light appeared and disappeared, closing around her head then speeding off to parts unknown. Blue was the main color, interspersed with purple, indigo, white, and even pink.

They twirled around him, seeking something, originating from nothing, and spiraling down everywhere. It was a beautiful show, and yet Naruto couldn't help but feel some measure of sadness from the experience. He was most troubled by the ribbons' sudden appearance. Was it some kind of jutsu meant to bewilder him? Hadn't Haku already resigned to her fate?

Haku looked at Naruto, confused by his amazed stare. He looked at himself subtly. There was nothing on him as far as he could tell. So what was…Her eyes widened. She glanced at the younger boy. "Sorry, Naruto-kun!" she hissed, her hand forming a myriad of seals. "But I can't die yet!"

"What are you…?" For some reason, not known to even himself, Naruto lashed out with the hand not holding the kunai. He latched onto Haku's arm, breaking her from her attempt to shunshin away. He looked, startled, at Naruto. A flare of differing colors cascaded down Haku's body. Naruto breathed heavily, his eyes burning, the view in front of him rapidly switching color and form. What the hell was going on?

Haku's eyes narrowed and she wrenched her arm from Naruto's hold. "Let go! Zabuza-san-"

A soft, deep, and strangled cry broke his sentence. Even though it was low, almost impossible to hear, their adrenaline enhanced senses easily caught it. The fog slowly began to disperse, leaving the group to see what had happened.

Haku fell to his knees. The ribbons around her body were cycling through colors even faster than before, but they were quickly beginning to settle on a deep, dark indigo. Naruto hardly caught this, as his eyes were stuck on the scene before him.

Kakashi had his arm extended, one hand lodged in Zabuza's chest where his heart would be. The class-A missing nin was clutching the copy nin's arm with both his hands, blood bubbling out of his mouth. Though Naruto and Haku couldn't hear what the two were saying, it was obvious that it was something important by their expressions. Kakashi hesitated before nodding slowly, retracting his hand from Zabuza's chest. The man fell down into a lifeless heap, his Kubikiri Houchou clanging on the stone floor after him.

"Zabuza-san…"

Tears slowly slid down the teenager's face as the most important person in his life refused to move from the place he had fallen.

Kakashi grabbed his arm and quickly limped his way over to where the other two were. He still had his Sharingan revealed, which could only mean one thing – he wasn't finished fighting.

From his point of view, Naruto could see it, the same thing he had seen on Haku – ribbons and splotches of light and colors revolving around Kakashi. Red, indigo, blue; the same colors as Haku but with slight variations. Once again, without thinking, without considering the consequences, he stepped out in front of Haku, blocking him from Kakashi.

The jounin sensei frowned as his student refused to budge. "Naruto, what are you-"

"No, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto interrupted. "You can't kill him!"

Kakashi frowned. "Naruto, move out of the way."

"No!"

"Let him do it. Let him kill me." Naruto craned his neck to watch as Haku continued to stare at the ground, tears freely flowing down her cheeks. "Now that Zabuza-san is no longer here, I have lost my meaning. A tool without its master is worthless. I have no reason to live."

"That's not true! You-!"

"Naruto! You're alive!" Hearing his name called, and recognizing the voice, Naruto could feel his heart clench as though it had been squeezed by a clamp.

"Sakura…" She was rushing over along with Tazuna, and he could see the colors flowing over her. Orange, purple, and yellow, matched with a lighter version for Tazuna. "Sakura…I…"

"Huh? What is it?" she questioned. She saw that he refused to meet her eyes. "What's wrong? What about Sasuke?" Silence was her only answer. "Where's Sasuke?!" And yet, he still refused to say a word. Fear gripped her. "No…"

"There's no need to worry." Sakura turned to Haku, as well as the others. A small twitch slightly turned up one corner of his lips. "He's alive."

"Wha…"

"He's alive."

Sakura's eyes widened with disbelief. Did that mean that…? Tazuna noticed this and gently increased his hold on her hand. Sakura turned to look at him. He smiled gently. "I'll go with you. Then you won't be disobeying orders, right?"

Sakura looked at him, sniffed once, and nodded. Rushing, she dragged the elderly man behind her.

Kakashi looked at Haku, who still refused to take her gaze from the ground. The boy was still crying, and it seemed like he would not stop anytime soon. But at least she wasn't bawling in any unseemly manner. While Kakashi all too easily understood the pain of watching a precious person die, Haku was still keeping his dignity. No sniffling, no hiccups, just a thin, steady trail of tears that flowed down her cheeks.

Kakashi's eyes crinkled, though whether it was in some sort of grim amusement or something darker even he could not tell. He then frowned, turning his neck around. "We have company."

Naruto whipped his head up, looking. His eyes widened when he saw who had arrived.

A huge number of mercenaries, numbering at least fifty, had gathered on the bridge, cutting off escape from one end. In front of them all was a short, stout man, dressed in a black business suit. His eyes were hidden from view by a small pair of heavily tinted glasses, his hands balanced on a simple walking stick. The man's face was a mix of sickening pleasure and sadistic glee, his mouth twisted up in a mocking smile.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Did the cute baby devil fail?"

"Gatou…" Haku finally looked up from the ground, her eyes focused on the man. Empty except for some flickering of light, they failed to carry whatever emotion she was attempting to show. "What are you doing here?"

Gatou sneered. "The plan's been changed. Or rather I should say the plan's going exactly as expected." He put a hand behind his neck, cracking the joints. "I was never going to pay either of you in the first place. I was just going to kill both of you when everything was said and done. Much simpler that way."

His eyes narrowed. "What?" Haku's voice had lowered to almost a whisper.

Grinning, the corrupt business man gestured at the small private army behind him. "It's quite simple, really. Usually hiring ninja from a sanctioned village is a risky and expensive job. Even with my subordinates I can't really be sure if they'll follow or just betray me." He tapped his hand on top of the cane. "But with missing nins I don't have to worry about whether they do or not. Instead I hire them and then kill them when the job is done and collect the bounty. After being weakened in battle, it doesn't take much to get rid of them with this many hired swords." Gatou's eyes narrowed, his sneer becoming more pronounced. "Ingenious, isn't it?"

"You bastard!" Naruto shouted. It was bad enough that listening to how the man treated ninja, people who were sworn to uphold the honor of their clients, made his blood boil. What made it worse was the sickening swirl of colors around Gatou. It was nauseous, a blend of black, orange, and red that created a mix that made his stomach do backflips. "How can you treat human life like that?!"

"It's not like I can expect a child like you to understand that," he shrugged. "But still…" He walked over to Zabuza's cooling body, stopping a few inches away. "What a weak demon, to be defeated by only one full-fledged ninja and a couple brats." Gatou's foot lashed out, catching Zabuza's head. It snapped to the side, a sickening crack echoing through the air.

"Zabuza-san-!"

"At least his head should be worth something. And I'm sure that that piece of scrap metal he called a sword will be worth a pretty penny to whatever idiot collector wants it." Gatou sighed dramatically, like he was suffering from some kind of horrible fate. "Ah well, at least this endeavor wasn't a complete waste of time and effort."

"You-!"

"Hold it, Naruto." The boy stopped when he felt Kakashi grab his shoulder. The man's face was tightly knit, but Naruto could see a great deal of red flashing around the man's body. Even the dense genin could tell that the copy nin was barely reigning in his anger. Naruto simply stood there and waited. Kakashi turned to the horde. "What are you going to do now?"

Gatou laughed. His voice grated on the ears, like a band saw on sheet metal slightly muted. He raised a hand and waved it behind him. "Isn't it obvious?"

The horde lathered themselves into a frenzy. "We're gonna kill ya easy!"

"I see." Kakashi scratched his head, closing his eyes. He sighed. "Damn, this mission has been nothing but one bad twist after another." He spoke behind him. "Naruto."

"Yes?"

"Go to Sakura and Sasuke, and get them and Tazuna out of here."

"But what about you?!"

"I don't have the time, energy, or patience to take out this many samurai wannabes while looking after you and the others. After all the jutsus I used, especially the latest ones, my chakra levels are all but depleted."

"Then what the hell are-"

"Naruto!" The blonde bit his argument off at the tone in his sensei's voice. The colors around him were flashing and cycling like crazy. "Do I have to remind you again? You're a shinobi! Your client is your top priority and you are supposed to follow my, your leader's, orders! Now go!"

Naruto bit his lip. What was he supposed to do?! He couldn't leave Kakashi-sensei all by himself, but he also couldn't just leave his duty behind either! He was a ninja! He had to follow it through to the end! If he wanted to be Hokage, then he had to do the things that were expected of one! He had to…Naruto paused for a second. A mischievous and crooked grin slowly crept along his lips.

That's right. He had to do what was expected of the Hokage.

"Fuck that!" Kakashi's eyes widened at the sincerity and steel in the jinchuuriki's words. "You think I'm gonna run after all that crap you said about, 'ninja who don't follow the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are lower than that?' I'll show ya what it means to be a true ninja. I'll show ya why I'm gonna be Hokage!

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

In a poof of smoke, five extras Naruto appeared behind the original one. Their hands reached into their kunai pouch, taking out the bladed weapon as one. Internally wincing at the small number of clones he had barely managed to summon, Naruto figured it was the best he could after that tough fight with Haku. Speaking of whom…He turned around to see the desolate nin staring blankly at the events that were occurring before him. He growled.

"Haku, go to where Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme are!"

Haku just continued to stare blankly. "There's no point in bothering. Without Zabuza-san, my use in this world has come to an end." She meant to say more but was interrupted when Naruto grabbed her by the scruff of her outfit, pulling him mere inches away from the blonde's face.

"Listen you," he shouted. His emotions were already a wreck from Sasuke's near death and the short bastard that was Gatou and. The sudden change in his vision made him think he was starting to slowly go insane, and now Haku's dive into depression was making it even more frustrating. So Naruto did the first thing he always did when his mind reached the breaking point in situations like this.

He yelled exactly what he was thinking, regardless of whether it was the right, or smart, thing to do.

Really…frickin'…loudly.

"Stop going on about how you 'have no use now that Zabuza's dead!' You're a lot more than that, and I'm sure that even Zabuza believed that somewhere in that eyebrowless brain of his, too. But fine, if you're so damn stuck on being useful to someone then be useful to _me!"_

Haku's eyes widened as the boy continued his diatribe, and even the shadow clones and Kakashi seemed surprised and slightly impressed at the impulsive yet innately kindhearted quality of Naruto's words and actions.

"If you need to be someone's tool, be _my_ tool! If you need to follow someone, follow _me!_ If you need someone to be your master, _I'll_ be your master! This world isn't so shitty that it doesn't need someone like me running around doing stuff, and it _definitely_ doesn't need someone with your skills moping around and acting like an emo bastard." He grinned widely at some personal joke. "Sasuke-teme already has that role covered."

Kakashi slapped a hand against his face. The fool had been doing so well, and then he had to ruin the whole speech with a cheap shot at his rival. He sighed. It was scary, but Naruto was actually starting to resemble Obito and himself in a lot of ways.

Naruto ignored, or more likely, didn't even notice Kakashi's reaction and continued with his rant. "You're not worthless, you're not just something to be used and thrown away, and if anyone ever says otherwise then I'll just beat the crap out of them, you included." He released his hold on Haku's clothes, allowing the boy to sink back to the ground on his knees. He felt a lot better after letting that all out, and even if he didn't know what the hell he himself was saying for half of that rant, he sure felt a whole lot more energetic anyway. "Put your skills to work, Haku. Don't let them rot. After all, if someone like me can become Hokage - and I damn sure will - I bet you can find someplace where you'll find what you're looking for."

Clapping finished him off. Naruto turned to see Gatou with a smirk on his face. "An elegant speech," he stated. "A grand weaving of words." His smile dropped. "And if killing you means that I'll never have to listen to such saccharine shit again I'll be all too happy to give the order." He tapped his fingers upon his other hand. "But I think I'll be even happier to kill you, Haku." Gatou's mouth sank into a darkened scowl. "You broke my arm. I'll break a lot more."

He raised his unbroken limb. "Boys, you can-"

"Suiton: Sensatsu Suishou."

"Urk!"

Many, most of all Gatou, were very surprised to see the short man suddenly turned into a pincushion by the several dozen water needles that had pierced his body within the span of a couple seconds. The corrupt man fell to the ground with a splash, his face submerged in a small puddle. Looking, they could see Haku standing up, her one hand stuck in the last hand seal of the jutsu she had just performed. Naruto trembled.

"You…"

"I am under your command, Naruto-sama," he said with a small bow. The colors had swirled again, revealing a soft, light blue, the darker colors being buried underneath.

"Naruto-sama…?"

"I am now and shall always be your tool until you no longer have use for me, just as you stated." She grabbed a free hand and brought it to her forehead, pressing the back gently to her scratched and bloodied skin. Even Naruto could sense the reverence the boy held from that simple action. "Please use me as you see fit."

"Ah, erm…okay?" Really, how was he supposed to react to something like this? He was just spouting whatever came to mind in an attempt to release Haku from her depression. He didn't think she would actually take it seriously! The boy had obviously never heard of co-dependency before, but he would soon find out just how awkward things would become. "Thank you?"

"Naruto!" He turned around towards where Sakura's voice was coming from. "He's okay! Sasuke-kun's alright!"

Said boy was leaning on her, one arm slung around her shoulder. He was obviously uncomfortable with the vulnerability he was showing but Naruto could still make out a small smirk. He knew that smile. Bastard Sasuke was going to be just fine. Naruto turned to Haku, who only smiled softly in affirmation. He grinned and pounded his fists together.

"All right!"

"Hey! Don't think this is over yet!"

"Yeah, you killed our meal ticket! What are we going to do now?!"

The ninjas turned to see the horde of mercenaries had turned restless, angered and shocked over the death of their employer. Their fury grew, until they exploded into a cacophony of insults, slurs, and death threats. Red washed over them like a tidal wave, bulging larger and larger with every passing second.

"We're gonna kill ya! Then we're gonna ransack the village and take everything they've got!"

The red wave surged.

"Let's go!"

"Shit! This isn't good!"

Everything stood still when a small arrow pierced the ground in front of the oncoming horde. They all turned to see the origin. What met them was the entirety of Wave country armed to the teeth, with small Inari standing at the forefront. A miniature crossbow was in his hands, and pots and pans were acting as armor on his tiny frame. His face was wound into a small and grim frown.

"If any of you come any further, the citizens of this country will beat you down with everything they have!"

"Inari!"

The young boy grinned at Naruto. "The hero always comes at the end, right?" he laughed, echoing Naruto's earlier words when the ninja had saved him and his mother from the mercenaries at his home.

Naruto grinned back, emboldened by the once weak and pessimistic crybaby. He barked out a laugh in return, and turned back to the thugs. "Okay, you guys," he ordered his clones. "You ready to have some fun?"

"Right, boss!"

"I am ready to serve as well, Naruto-sama." Senbons burst from Haku's fingertips, ready to pierce all that would dare stand against her or her master.

_Hmm, well, I guess this is the best I can do as well._ Kakashi sighed and made the ram seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! Kakashi Version!"

Kakashi clones exploded into existence, enough so that they were able to reach across the width of the bridge three times over. They seemed solid enough, but they were just Bunshins which had had a bit more chakra forced into them to look whole. But it wasn't like they were meant to attack. If the bandits were stupid enough, such a bluff would frighten them off easily. Kakashi decided to sweeten the deal.

"Well?" Every single clone asked this in unison. The synchronization of their voices had a rather creepy effect. "Are you coming or what?"

Needless to say the mercenaries decided to cut their losses and flee, piling onto a small boat and getting the hell out of there. They weren't paid enough to deal with that kind of shit.

The citizens of Wave country and the ninjas burst into cheers. It was over! Gatou was no more, and they could finally live a life without fear! As everyone quickly fell into celebration mode, Naruto grabbed hold of the closest person to him and drew them into a hug, bouncing up and down like the child he really was.

"All right, Haku! We did it! We really did it!"

Haku was startled by the younger boy's sudden movement. A small flush raced across his cheeks as a surprised look whisked into his eyes. Zabuza had never shown any affection to him. Heck, _no one_ had shown any affection to him after the death of his parents, so it was understandable that she was unaccustomed to such actions. Still, he had to admit that they were neither unpleasant nor unwanted, just simply…startling.

This young boy, no, her master…He was sure that Naruto would make wonderful use of her. Haku looked at him. She was drawn to something immediately.

_Beautiful eyes…_

An ocean of blue with a ring of silver. It made them seem so deep…so vast.

He blinked when Naruto actually took the time to look at him. "Haku?"

"Yes, Naruto-sama?"

He seemed embarrassed for a second. He coughed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Are you _really_ a boy?"

Haku blinked again, but then smiled genially and opened her mouth to answer.

"What do _you_ think?"

RRRRR

"Oh, I don't frickin' believe this…"

Naruto used a finger to pull the bottom part of his eyelid down, staring into the mirror he had borrowed from Tsunami. There it was – a twirling ring of silver that circled just around the outskirts of his pupils. It even grew and shrunk in accordance with his pupils adjusting to light. He had barely noticed it before; only when he had nearly slammed headfirst into a mirror during the village's celebrations did he see the mutation within his irises in his reflection.

Was it because of Kyuubi? Did the stupid fox actually have a physical effect on his body after that first emergence? He couldn't think of anything else, but he thought that it would have been red instead of silver. Haku had mentioned that his eyes had turned entirely crimson during his…well, "outbreak." Of course, Naruto hadn't told her about Kyuubi, instead poorly lying that it must have been because of all the chakra being thrown around. Naruto didn't think Haku would believe that for long.

_Great._

Resisting the urge to bash his head on the table, Naruto looked around. He was currently within an unused room in Tazuna's house. Outside he could hear the party getting into full swing. He didn't know why he was moping inside when he could have been laughing it up with Inari and the others, but seeing as his eyes had suddenly "mutated" he felt he had good reason to.

At first he found what he saw to be surprising. Then he found it cool. The colors around everyone were definitely beautiful to look at, and it was interesting to see how they interacted with each person. But to be honest, his eyes were starting to burn after watching too many colors flow between too many people for too long, and he had to excuse himself, which inevitably led to him finding out about his eyes' discoloration in the first place.

Naruto fell onto his back. Why couldn't they be cool like Sasuke's? The Uchiha had been brooding over the sudden activation of his bloodline limit, Sakura cooing over how awesome the bastard was, and Kakashi praising him on the accomplishment. And Naruto had been left alone to sulk over the fact that he was probably going to go blind with the world turning into some sort of painter's acid trip.

It never occurred to him to tell them about his eyes' sudden change in perception. Truthfully, he didn't think they would notice or care. It was all about Sasuke again. Still…

Naruto chuckled evilly when the Uchiha had discovered who had beaten him. Haku was a girl. A _girl!_ A _girl_ had beaten the coveted last of the Uchiha! And now she saw Naruto as her one and only master! Ha!

He still found it surprising that Haku was a girl. Even though she was a couple years older than him, she had a very slender and slim figure. She didn't have many curves, and her breasts hadn't really matured that much. It was only when Kakashi noted that Haku had the distinctive lack of an Adam's apple that Naruto finally believed the girl. She was very beautiful, though, and her form of speech was rather feminine, so he supposed it shouldn't have been _too_ hard to believe.

He wasn't surprised that none of the others had accepted Haku yet. She _had_ been working for the villain. Even he was having a little trouble with that fact. But then again, if there was one thing that Naruto was, it was trusting. As long as someone was willing to be friends, he was more than willing to take that friendship and run with it. The boy was starved for companionship, and Haku, though the relationship was odd at best and mildly disturbing at worst, was the best bet he had.

He was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't hear the thumping of footsteps behind him until his view was blocked by a falling body. Air hissed out of his lungs when a small child impacted with his chest, driving everything out.

"Naruto-nii-chan! What are you doing around here?! Come on out to the party! Everyone's waiting for you!"

"Grahhh…Damnit, Inari!" Naruto growled. That had really hurt! His frown faded when he saw the happy look on Inari's face. There were also the yellow and orange streams that wrapped themselves around the boy. Jeeze, how could he stay pissed when the kid was exuding his favorite color like a volcano? He sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." He pushed the boy off him, scrabbling to his knees. Looking up, his face registered surprise. "Haku?"

The former faux-hunter nin bowed in his direction. "Naruto-sama."

"What are you doing here?"

She frowned. "A tool must always be on hand so that it can be used whenever it is needed."

The Uzumaki frowned in return. "Ah jeeze, don't start that again. Listen, you don't have to do whatever I say. You can do whatever you want. Don't just follow me."

"Are you taking back what you said about having a use for me?" Though there was no change in her facial expressions, he could see her colors shifting towards the darker end of the spectrum. Even if he had no idea what it meant, even Naruto could figure that darker meant bad things.

"No, no!" He waved his hands in a placating motion. "I meant it, I meant it!" If there was one thing Naruto understood, it was never have bad things happen to, or come from, a woman. Sakura had beaten that concept into his head enough times. He sighed mentally when Haku's colors shifted back to a soft blue. What was with the girl and the color blue? Orange was such a better color!

Glancing at her, he absently looked over what she was wearing. Since Haku's old shinobi outfit had been ripped, torn, and sufficiently bloodied during their battle with each other, Tsunami had taken it upon herself to get the girl some new clothing. What she was wearing now was reminiscent of what he had seen her in when they first met without her mask – a simple pink yukata with zori, her hair unraveled to hang down past the small of her back. Naruto had to admit that she looked pretty in it, though her deadpan expression was kind of hurting the whole look.

He groaned. "Could you at least drop the sama?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Naruto-sama. Naruto-sama is Naruto-sama. Thus I must call you Naruto-sama." The corner of her mouth quirked up a bit more cheekily than he had ever seen before.

"Fine…" he sighed.

"Very well, if I may escort you and Inari-kun to the party."

Inari answered with a cry of consent. Grabbing Naruto with one had, he more-or-less dragged the ninja out the house. Haku followed a short clip behind, making sure that nothing happened to the two. When Naruto emerged, he was rushed by an onslaught of cheers, lights and colors.

_Holy crap, there's orange everywhere!_

The color pervaded every bit of the place. It hung from the sky, crawled along the ground, winded its way across each and every person; every person was radiating the color like heat from an explosive note!

Naruto was shoved into the fray, hands clapping him on the back, shaking his hand, ruffling his hair. Words were shouted at him, ones of praise, of thanks, of amazement. He had never had that much positive attention in his life!

Grinning like a madman, he was shoved into a headlock by Tazuna. The old man was fairly drunk by this point, seeing no reason not to refrain from his personal choice of showing happiness…or sadness…or irritation…or boredom. Hell, he just liked it! He took a swig off his jug before grinning. "You did one hell of a job, midget."

"No thanks to you, ya drunk jiji!" The words lacked their spite as both Naruto and Tazuna were just joking with one another. The tension that was initially between the two was long gone by now. "Celebrating pretty heartily, huh?"

"I've good reason to!" He swung the jug of sake underneath the boy's nose. "You want a sip?"

"I'm only thirteen, ya old coot! I'm not old enough to drink yet!"

"Never a reason not to start early. Hell, I had my first drink when I was only eight years old."

"Somehow I don't find that surprising."

"Bah, you're no fun." Tazuna ribbed good-naturedly. He let go of the boy and shoved Naruto forward. "Go hang out with your squad. This old man still has a lot of partying to do." With that he turned back to the party, raising his sake into the air. "More booze!" He was answered by a loud shout from everyone as the party continued.

Naruto looked to where the others were. He saw the other three of his squad gathered together, talking with Tsunami. Well, Kakashi was attempting to flirt with her and failing horribly while Sasuke was brooding as he activated and deactivated his Sharingan, nearly his entire body wrapped in bandages, while Sakura just watched in blissful adoration.

Naruto grinned. "Sakura-chaaan…!" He yelled, running over to the pinkette. He ignored the annoyed look on her face as he reached her. "Ne, ne, Sakura-chan, ya wanna go dance? They look like they're playing some good stuff right now!" Indeed, the sound of a few string instruments and flutes floated on the breeze as the village's small band livened up the festivities.

The girl frowned. Honestly, the blonde could be so infuriating sometimes! "Naruto, can't you see we're busy right now? Sasuke-kun's trying to get his Sharingan to work!"

Naruto scowled. "So? All he's doing is making his eye blink on and off. I don't really see what's so special about that."

Sasuke's eye sunk back to black. He glanced away from the tree where leaves were falling. With his Sharingan on, each one fell at a pace twice as slow as those when the kekkai genaki was off. His reflexes had definitely increased with its activation. Even though Kakashi had told him to take it easy, he refused and escaped from his bed as soon as he could. The jounin hadn't tried to put him back since. Looking at the two, his brow furrowed. Both of them were annoying, Sakura with her idol worship and Naruto with his incompetence, and yet he could never seem to get rid of either of them. They were like barnacles that refused to let go!

Locking his gaze on the prankster, he groused, "Unlike you, _I_ actually have innate talent. If I want to keep being the best, I have to sharpen my talent." Almost as an afterthought, he slipped out, "Dobe."

Naruto growled. "Oh, really? Well, your innate talent meant shit when Haku beat you. And I beat Haku, so that must mean I'm better than you, right?"

Sasuke suddenly stood, shoving his face into Naruto's. "What was that, dobe?"

Naruto shoved his face right back. "Exactly what I said, teme."

Sakura growled. Ugh! These boys were getting so frustrating to deal with! Already, Inner Sakura was yelling to just bash them both in the head…and then drag Sasuke off to some undisclosed location. She blushed at that notion. Had to file that away for later…She began to interrupt the two and chastise Naruto for bothering her beloved Sasuke-kun, but Haku beat her to the punch.

"Naruto-sama, please do not act in such an unbecoming manner. It does not befit one of your status."

Sakura gaped. "What do you mean 'one of his status?' Naruto's an idiot, the bottom of our class!" The boy visibly flinched at her stinging words. It still hurt whenever she said stuff like that.

Haku noticed this. Her features drew together in a frown. "Naruto-sama is my master and thus deserves my respect. As his tool, I must make sure that he is well-received among those he associates with."

Sasuke snorted. "As if dobe could ever amount to anything."

"Hey, if those eyes make you so damn special then I'm the same as you. My eyes have been freaking out all day!" he growled, the rumbling echoing from deep inside his throat.

"What are you talking…" Sasuke trailed off as he took a better look at Naruto's eyes. Even from this close of a distance he had failed to notice the change. "Naruto…" His voice had taken an unusually serious and non-sarcastic tone, especially considering that it was directed at the blonde. "What happened to your eyes?"

"What do you mean, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura moved closer and then jumped back. "Naruto! Your eyes!"

"I know that already!" Naruto waved his hands above his head in an erratic manner. "I said that they were the same as Sasuke's!"

"Naruto, what are you trying to pull?" Sasuke's voice had become dangerously low and soft.

"How the hell should I know?! They've been acting odd since the battle with Haku and I just noticed the change a little while ago."

"What's going on here?"

Kakashi ambled his way over to where his genin students were, wincing at the pain in his shin. Inari had kicked him there to stop his incessant flirting with his mother. The little brat…

He kept particular attention on Haku. He still didn't trust the girl. Why would she change her alliances to Naruto so quickly, so soon after Zabuza's death? He might not have looked like it, but Kakashi was remarkably observant and perceptive. He wouldn't have survived so long as an ANBU captain otherwise. He couldn't just think everything was okay simply because the girl said it was. Regardless of her age or gender, she was still a high-level missing nin, and a dangerous one at that.

"Kakashi-sensei! Naruto eye's are-!"

"What about Naruto's eyes?" He hadn't bothered to check over the boy, more worried over Haku and Sasuke's recovery. When he did, however, his revealed eye widened. Whipping his hand forward, he caught Naruto's chin and brought him forward, staring intensely.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Quiet." He blinked and lazily turned his head to the side. "That really isn't necessary, you know," he drawled at the senbon needle poked against his jugular. Haku had sneaked behind him – something that was all but impossible for the even stealthiest of ninja - her face a cold mask. "I'm not going to do anything."

"It's okay, Haku," Naruto said. "Kakashi-sensei won't do anything stupid." He smirked. "Although it wouldn't be the first time."

Kakshi sighed. "You really know how to defuse a situation, kid." Naruto just shrugged. But it did the job as Haku nodded and withdrew the needle from Kakashi's artery. Kakashi frowned and went back to looking at Naruto's eyes. As far as he could tell, there was no residual Kyuubi chakra; the seal had either sucked it up or dissipated whatever was left. Perhaps it was a genjutsu? But Naruto didn't have the aptitude for genjutsu, even for a simple colorization jutsu. Kakashi's frown deepened. He couldn't think of any jutsu that Naruto could use or could be performed on the boy.

"Naruto, how long has it been like this?"

"Right after I fought Haku."

"Anything else strange?"

"Well…" He figured he might as well let it all out. Unless he got his eyes fixed soon, he would probably go crazy from all the crap he saw, or else just avoid humans for the rest of his life. As far as he could tell, it only worked on them, bypassing trees and animals completely. "I can see colors."

"Most people can see colors, dobe. Though you being colorblind would probably explain that tacky jumpsuit you always wear."

Naruto swallowed the insult that tried to escape from his mouth. The smirk on the taller boy was pissing him off, but Naruto had more important things to worry about; like the maelstrom of colors that swirled around him. "No, I mean I'm seeing…well, _extra_ colors. Things like ribbons of light or random splotches. Things that shouldn't _be_ there."

Kakashi nodded slowly. "Naruto, could you explain a little further?" He removed his hand from Naruto's chin and stepped back.

Naruto nodded. "Okay. It's like this. Well, it's like there are the regular colors. Like Kakashi-sensei's uniform; there's his green jounin vest and his black shirt and pants. There's also his silver hair and all the rest. But when I look at you more, there's all these other colors, too. There's blue, lots of blue, some pink, and a little bit of gold. It's kind of…it's kind of like I can see chakra around you…But I know it's _not_ chakra…you know?"

"I see…Naruto, have your eyes been hurting lately?"

"Huh? Yeah, they started burning just as the colors showed up."

_Crap._ Kakashi hoped this didn't mean what he thought it did, but he was having serious doubts that it could be anything else. Suddenly seeing colors no one else could, eyes that burned, and Kakashi couldn't instantly see any kind of jutsu being performed on or by the genin? There was only one thing he could really think of off the top of his head. "Naruto, I need you to do something for me." The boy nodded. "I need you to feel your chakra. Can you do that?" Naruto closed his eyes, and Kakashi could feel the boy instinctively release his chakra while searching for the way it flowed.

"Got it!"

"Okay, now, do you feel any of it flowing anywhere near your eyes?"

"A little."

"Cut it off."

Naruto's eyes flashed. Instead of the ring simply disappearing, it erased itself little by little, making it seem like the ring was being eaten from one end to the other. When it was completely gone, Naruto grinned brightly. "Hey! I can't the colors anymore!"

"Just as I thought," Kakashi muttered. He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it. Out of all the people who could possibly manifest such a thing, it just had to be Naruto. Still, he was Konoha's number one surprise ninja. Kakashi supposed something like this was bound to happen sooner or later, though not at the same time as when Sasuke grew into his clan's heritage.

Sasuke could see the emotions running through his sensei's eye. Already he was reaching the same conclusion that Kakashi had. But there was no way he could accept that. Dobe was dobe, the loser of the class, the crud scraped off the bottom of the barrel! How could he possibly have anything in common with the elite Sasuke?!

"I have no idea how it happened, but congratulations, Naruto. You are now the proud owner of a kekkai genkai, most likely a doujutsu of some sort since it's focused on your eyes."

Everything was silent. Then it all exploded with exclamations, questions, and cries of outrage.

"Ha! Take that, Sasuke-teme! You're not so special with your Sharingan after all!"

"Don't get so uppity, dobe! Your damn doujutsu will never match the perfection of the Sharingan!"

"Kakashi-sensei! What do you mean Naruto has a kekkai genkai?! How come we never heard of this before now?!"

As the conversation degenerated into nothing more than a shouting match, Kakashi groaned. What he wouldn't give for his Icha Icha books right now….But Tsunami had found them earlier when he was unconscious and recovering from his first fight with Zabuza and had…disposed of them.

He thought burning them with gasoline and then sprinkling the remains with salt was overdoing it a bit, but the look she gave him brooked no argument.

Ugh…he needed his little orange book so _bad!_

RRRRR

Two weeks had passed.

Two weeks since Zabuza had died in battle, two weeks since Gatou's reign had ended, and two weeks since Haku had joined the group.

The bridge was finished, built ahead of time with all the help that Naruto's kage bunshin had given. Even though the economy of the country would probably not get better for a while, the bridge was a symbol and promise of things to come. It was a step in the right direction, and though Wave country may not become prosperous within the current generation, it was certain it would in future ones.

Naruto had found the past few weeks both exciting and extremely tiring. It was bad enough trying to compete with Sasuke when the boy hardly acknowledged him as anything more than a bug. He thought there had been a breakthrough during the fight on the bridge, but whatever understanding gained had been lost shortly afterward and the two fell back into the old pattern of trying to one-up each other.

It wasn't helping that Sasuke was already making leaps and bounds with his doujutsu. Even though it had just recently been activated, the dark-haired teen could now easily access it at will. Kakashi had even started giving him private training sessions to try and draw out the bloodline limit's power. Under the tutelage of the copy nin, it was easy to see Sasuke's rapid increase in progress.

But Naruto had no idea what he was doing. It had taken a week just for him to get the right feeling of shoving chakra into his eyes, but he could activate his own doujutsu now. Other than that he was completely lost. Kakashi had admitted to never seeing that particular doujutsu before, so he was no help. In fact, he didn't think that such a doujutsu had ever existed before – a wild card. Somehow the idea of a completely unknown bloodline limit manifesting in Naruto made the most sense Kakashi had ever witnessed.

Sasuke, of course, had outright ignored him, his sense of superiority deteriorating under the idea that he wasn't so special anymore. Sakura had split herself between cheering Sasuke on and helping the various villagers in town with reconstruction.

Haku had been the most help of all. Though he supposed it was only because she considered Naruto to be her master, it was still nice to know that someone actually cared about him. Unfortunately, she had not been able to shed any light on his situation either. She knew enough about kekkai genkais to help explain the generalities and some of the specifics of them, but when it came to Naruto's she was as much in the dark as anyone else.

So now Naruto could see the world in 'glorious Technicolor' as he had mirthlessly joked once. Still, even though it appeared to be a relatively useless bloodline limit at the moment, at the very least it was beautiful to look at.

For each person there was a different design of colors and shapes. Some people held lighter colors, some people held darker, and some people held a healthy mixture of both. There were ribbons, dots, splotches, and everything else. It was like an extra set of clothing that people wore, and Naruto, when he wasn't busy helping with the bridge or pestering Kakashi to teach him something, wandered through the village searching for various combinations. He had decided to name the phenomenon "flow," after watching Haku practice a water jutsu that allowed her to move water around her like a cloak. The flow of colors from one place to another, turning from one shape to the next, heavily resembled the teen's movements.

Naruto had become closer to Haku, but there was still lot of hidden territory between them. She called herself Naruto's tool and there was a certain distance between the two that she never seemed comfortable to try and close. He had attempted it several times, either through light conversation or some kind of joke, but there was always something…missing in the middle. She would smile, yes; but that smile always…lacked something though. He knew a bit about her tragic past, a little about her personality, but beyond that Naruto knew squat. It was hard on him, to see someone so like himself unwilling to make the change to better themselves. But he would try.

On his promise to be Hokage, he would try.

The two weeks had also determined what was going to be done with Haku. Kakashi decided that they would bring her with them. She was obviously no longer affiliated with Zabuza, and had proven herself trustworthy enough to at least bring to Konoha. The Hokage would decide what to do with her afterward. No matter what Naruto had to say about it, though, she _had_ tried to kill them before. That would make it a bit hard for her to get away without _some_ sort of punishment.

But now the mission was over, and it was time to head back to Konoha. Naruto stared at the grave in front of him. Zabuza's sword was planted right behind the grave marker, signaling where one of the famous Seven Swordsman of the Mist was buried. Haku was beside him, a saddened, nearly empty look in her eyes. She still had never fully gotten over Zabuza's death, and Naruto doubted that she ever would.

Sakura looked over at the older girl. She had not gotten close to the missing nin, and barely knew her to begin with. There was still fear and resentment over the wounds Haku had placed on Sasuke's body, but now there was also empathy towards her. The sadness was there, palatable and thick. Even so, there was still something she had to ask. "Haku?" The girl turned to her. "After everything that happened, do you still believe that we shinobi are nothing but tools? That there's nothing more for us?"

Haku smiled hauntingly. "Yes."

There was no need to explain herself; it was simply what she believed.

Kakashi watched them from behind before speaking up. "A shinobi isn't supposed to pursue his own goals, only those of his country. It's the most important thing, to become a tool when needed. It's the same for all villages, even Leaf."

"That really the true way?" Naruto mumbled softly. He was still thinking about Haku, about that treatment.

Kakashi shrugged. "It's the same for all ninja, wondering where they are on that path. Even Zabuza. And even…" He let his sentence trail off, so it was vague whether he was talking about Haku, the genin, or even himself.

They were silent for a few moments. Naruto broke it by slamming a fist into his palm.

"Okay, I got it! I'm gonna be a ninja in my own way, find my own path." He turned to Haku, who was staring bewilderedly at him. "You'll see, Haku. I'll show you. Even if it takes years, I'll show you that, someday, you don't have to be a tool to find your worth. You'll be your own worth, by your own self. I promise ya that!"

The others gaped at the complete lack of tact the boy had shown towards the girl's ideals. Only Kakashi recovered easily, his eye closing into an amused look. Only Naruto…

Haku looked at Naruto, looked at the boy who was her master, at the man who had denied her will for living. And yet, she could only think to do one thing.

She smiled.

"Yes, Naruto-sama."

The world was such a colorful place.

A/N: Okay, here's the rewrite for the first chapter. Nothing much, just a few grammatical/spelling fixes and a change in the overall emotion of the story, making it a little less silly and a little more serious.

_Next Chapter: Icicle Melting in the Leaves_


	2. Icicle Melting in the Leaves V2

Disclaimer: I SWEAR UPON MY FLAMES OF YOUTH THAT I DON'T OWN NARUTO!

**Refraction  
****Chapter 2: Icicle Melting in the Leaves  
By Irritus185**

As the sun filtered through the leaves, a multitude of feet, crunching dirt and gravel underneath them, could be heard floating on the air. The forest was growing thicker and becoming quieter the further the group walked, and it wasn't long before almost no noise could be sensed at all. It signified a sign that they were only a short way from reaching the walls of Konoha.

Naruto was in the front of the pack, talking animatedly between Sakura and Haku while throwing dirty looks back at Sasuke every once in a while. Their relationship had grown worse ever since they left Wave country and especially since they had entered Fire country. With every mile they drew closer to the hidden village, it simply solidified the fact that Sasuke would be praised for his achievements with the Sharingan and Naruto would learn about his own doujutsu, creating a new rivalry that would probably not end for a while.

Haku smiled and nodded in turn with Naruto's comments, making small, offhand remarks every now and then to keep the conversation going, but not making any significant contribution.

Even Sakura was talking more with Naruto than she usually did. Then again, Sasuke was being even more aloof than usual and she was burning to converse with _anyone_. Considering Kakashi-sensei was clearly out of the picture ever since he managed to pick up a copy of the latest Icha Icha series at the last village they had rested at, Naruto and Haku were her only options. And to be fair, it really wasn't all that bad. Naruto had yet to make an inappropriate comment, simply blabbing on about everything and nothing. Surprising.

"As soon as we get back I'm going straight to Ichiraku's for some ramen! I haven't had any for days now!"

"We have to report to the Hokage first, Naruto!" Sakura puffed. The boy had become even more energetic since the discovery of his kekkai genkai, something she hadn't thought was physically possible.

"Aww…is that true? Eh, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure, whatever." The man giggled as he flipped through another page of his book. Ahh…he missed his Icha-chan so much…

Naruto blew out his cheeks and stomped up to the jounin. "Stop – reading – that – smut – and – pay – attention!" With every word, Naruto made a grab for the orange book, but each time Kakashi lazily moved it out of the way and avoided him.

Eventually, he just placed a hand on Naruto's forehead, preventing the boy was advancing any further due to his short stature. "It's not smut, it's _literature_." Kakashi chided condescendingly. Even though he continued to speak, the man refused to take his eyes off the pages. "Sakura's right, though. We have to report to Sarutobi-sama first and relay our mission results, and also introduce Haku. Plus I would think you of all people, Naruto, would want to speak with him about your new eyes."

Naruto calmed down, his eyes beginning to sparkle at the concept. "You really think he'd know what to do?"

"Probably. His nickname, 'The Professor' isn't just hot air. The man has done more research on jutsus, bloodlines, limits – and _knows_ more – than any other ninja in Konoha and even some of the other hidden villages." He flicked the boy on the nose and walked past him. "So calm down and everything will go by quickly."

Idly rubbing at his nose, Naruto grinned wider as thought what the old man would say. Maybe his doujutsu had some kick-ass effect that could let him beat any enemy easily. He could already see himself standing over Sasuke as the Uchiha drowned in his own inferiority.

_Yeah! Awesome!_

Sasuke frowned as Naruto let out a yelp and ran ahead of the group. Haku followed swiftly after him as the blonde disappeared over a small hill. Idiot.

Naruto landed on a branch, the bough swaying underneath his weight as he put a hand to his brow, staring off into the distance. He felt the branch swing again as more weight settled on it. Turning, he saw that Haku was crouching next to him. He grinned at her slightly awed expression. It was more emotion than she usually showed.

"Awesome, huh?"

"Yes, Naruto-sama."

Farther down the path, the two could see the giant walls of Konoha. They towered over all the tress that surrounded village, a reminder as to why very few had managed to breach Konoha since it had first been founded. Barely, just barely, tufts of green overflowed from the top of the walls, signifying just why Konoha was designated as the village hidden amongst the leaves.

"This your first time seeing it?"

"Yes. It is indeed impressive. I visited Fire country a few times when I was traveling with Zabuza-san." At this her awed expression quickly drooped but then picked itself up again. Naruto never noticed. "But we never traveled close enough to see Konoha."

"Cause of the whole 'missing nin' thing?"

"Indeed."

"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore!" Naruto placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, squeezing it in comfort. "Konoha can be your new home! You'll never have to wander the world ever again. I promise ya that!"

Haku bowed deeply, a feat to her dexterity as she was already balancing herself on a thin tree branch. "Thank you, Naruto-sama."

"No problem!"

"Naruto! Get down from there! We've got to get going!"

"Coming, Sakura-cha – ack!"

The branch splintered from underneath him as he prepared to spring off, unaccustomed to the weight of two people. Naruto plummeted to the ground below, absently thinking that, while he would not be that badly injured, it would still hurt a hell of a lot. He could vaguely hear shouts of surprise and fear. Huh, well at least they cared enough about him to worry. Still, this reminded him of when he had just finished learning tree walking. Only then he had been caught by Sasuke. This time even the Uchiha probably couldn't catch him in time.

He was surprised to find that, instead of impacting with a hard surface, he was instead caught by something indubitably softer that compacted dirt. Looking up, Naruto saw Haku frowning in concern as she held him in her arms.

"You really must be more aware of your surrounding, Naruto-sama."

"Heh heh…oops? Thanks, Haku."

"As long as you are safe and understand."

As soon as she placed the boy down, Sakura marched up to them and grabbed Naruto by the ear. "You idiot! You could have been really hurt there! You don't have reflexes like Sasuke-kun or the others!"

Truth be told she had been a bit scared for the boy's safety. Even though he was annoying and an idiot, he was still her valued teammate. A fond smile almost escaped from her lips as she watched Naruto fluster and whine before she forced it back down. He had changed during the mission. She had seen a better side of him, a…cooler side of him. But he still would never be as cool as Sasuke, nope.

"I'm gonna drag you all the way back to Konoha so you don't any more stupid things!"

"Wait, Sakura-chan! Can't ya just – itatatataaa!"

Haku watched as Sakura held true to her promise and dragged the protesting blonde behind her by the ear. While it was rude, Haku did not see any harm in it. Sakura was caring about the boy in her own violent way. As long as it had no lasting repercussions, Haku would not interfere.

The group eventually arrived at the gates to Konoha. The wooden doors were huge, more of a monument than an actual entrance or gateway. They reached hundreds of feet in the air and were a couple of meters thick, weighing at nearly several tons of finely crafted, dense wood. The number of people who could actually open the gate under their own power could be counted on one hand. Luckily there was a more practical entrance located at the bottom of the right-hand door.

Kakashi hailed the two chunin guards that were standing watch. "Yo, we're here to report that our mission's been completed and that we need to report to the Hokage."

One of the chunins scanned the group, distastefully scowling at Naruto, who just scowled right back, before landing on Haku. "The girl doesn't seem to be registered as a Leaf ninja," he noted of her lack of a Leaf hitai-ete. "What's her business with your group?"

Kakashi flapped his hand as though it was nothing to be considered heavily. "She's a rogue nin we picked up in Wave country. She stated that she wanted asylum here."

The other guard blinked. "You just want to bring a missing nin into our village and show her right to the Hokage? She could be an assassin for all you know!"

Kakashi disappeared and reappeared right in front of the chunin, his eye crinkled into an amused U-shape as it stared into the chunin's from barely an inch away. "And you think that I, a jounin, would not have considered that?"

"N-no, sir!" The man stuttered. Kakashi Hatake was not a man to screw with. He didn't become a jounin at such a young age and then immediately head into ANBU for nothing. If you screwed with him, you'd be screwed ten times worse. Many people could attest to it. Many others could attest to doing it anyway just for the sake of principle.

RRRRR

Somewhere in the village a man with huge brows inside of a stretchy green suit sneezed as he watched his genin practice. No! His fires of youth were beginning to dwindle! He had to stoke them! Off to climb the Hokage monument with only his feet!

RRRRR

"Then would you mind letting us through?"

The chunin shakily nodded and ordered for the entrance to be opened. When it was, the group swiftly made their way through the village and then entered the Hokage's tower.

They found Sarutobi sifting through a mountain of paperwork. Bloody paperwork…Most powerful man in Konoha and his most dreaded enemies were ink stains and papercuts. His eyebrows twitched as he sensed the team plus one come into the room. A smile flitted across his face. "So you finally finished the mission. Congratulations to all of you." An eyebrow rose as he caught sight of Haku. Eyes swerved to Kakashi, asking what this meant.

The copy nin shrugged. "Turned out the C-mission wasn't a C-mission." He continued to go on and explain everything that had happened except for Naruto's manifested bloodline limit. He felt it would be more interesting if he let the blonde blurt it out.

"I see…" Sarutobi folded his hands together. "That indeed does make a difference. I assume you made plans over the pay change with the client?" Kakashi nodded, internally grumbling at the haggling Tazuna had tried with him. Damn cheap, old man… "Very well, I'll upgrade it to an S-class mission as well as the pay for it." Sakura and Naruto cheered at the idea of the huge increase in reward money. Sarutobi turned to Haku. "So you mean to say you wish to reside in Konoha, Haku-kun?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," the girl said respectfully.

Inwardly the Hokage chuckled. Such a polite girl. It was strange that she had decided to follow Naruto, a lad who couldn't follow basic etiquette or social procedures even to save his life. "And is there any reason as to why I should let this happen?"

Haku's face did not change. "I have pledged my life to Naruto-sama, thus I must be with him always. Even if you are his superior, I answer to him, not you. I do not need your permission to do so, though I would prefer to have it instead of not."

Sarutobi said nothing. He picked up his pipe, scrabbling for some tobacco. When he realized he wouldn't find it any time soon with all the paperwork crowded everywhere, he sighed and placed the pipe down. He placed a hand on his cheek. "Very well, I'll allow you to reside here."

"Yeah! You're great, Sarutobi-jii-san!" Naruto grabbed Haku by the hands, shaking them up and down in glee. "Isn't that great, Haku? You get to stay here with us!"

"Yes, Naruto-sama," she smiled gently.

Sarutobi nodded. He was glad that things had ended like this. From what he could tell from Kakashi's report, both the verbal one just now and the written one the man had sent ahead of time, the girl obviously had a few mental problems, probably some form of co-dependency and severe identity issues. He really didn't want to force the girl away from her one pillar of support when she was a highly trained ninja who apparently kept senbon on every inch of her body.

Sarutobi had noticed the way the girl had tensed earlier, an obvious sign she was prepared to attack. The ANBU guards hidden around him would disable her before she could do anything, but Sarutobi didn't feel like having Naruto go on a tirade about how he hurt his new friend. Besides, with the girl's rare kekkai genkai, the shinobi council would be clambering for her to join their ranks. Of course, he would be the one to decide over the procedure of doing so.

Sarutobi found the idea of turning humans into literal breeding stock distasteful and sickening, and he oftentimes wondered just what the high-ranking shinobi were thinking. No, with Haku's adamant view of Naruto as her "master," she could easily join Konoha without worry of the clans trying to claim her.

"I suppose you would like a job working in our ranks," the Hokage said.

"If it would help me support Naruto-sama, then yes."

Sarutobi looked over at Kakashi, who was subtly watching everything with his one eye. Wait…The man looked closer. Eye narrowed a little more than usual? Mask turned up in the slightest of fashions? Hand crooked up just so? Oh for the love of…The ninja was reading Icha Icha in his presence again?!

"Kakashi!" he barked.

The jounin made no move as to look like he was caught doing something he shouldn't. He lazily looked back, his eye caught in that infernal crinkle. "Yes, sir?"

"What would you say Haku-kun's level of skill be?"

Kakashi frowned. "At least a high-level chunin with her overall speed, strength, and skills. But she could probably make a special jounin with her finely-tuned grasp on anatomy and her kekkai genkai."

"Very well." He turned back to Haku. "Haku-kun, sometime in the next few days I would like you to return here so that we can determine your rank and status and install you in Konoha's shinobi directory. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Is there anything else needed to be said before I dismiss you all?"

Naruto exploded at the opportunity. "Ne, ne, Sarutobi-jii-san! Guess what?"

The man sighed. "What, Naruto?" He wouldn't be surprised if the boy said he was going to be Hokage with all the success happening lately. That or he was going to bug the man about some sort of jutsu in the village vault.

"I've got my _own_ kekkai genkai now!"

Sarutobi eyes immediately locked on to Kakashi. This was _not_ in the written mission report. The copy nin stared right back, acting as if he was completely innocent in the matter. Sarutobi swallowed the groan that tried to kick its way out. Of all the… "What do you mean by that, Naruto?"

"I've got a bloodline limit as well! And it's a doujutsu to boot! Now Sasuke-teme isn't the only special one on the team!"

Sarutobi swallowed. "Would you mind letting me look at it?"

Naruto nodded energetically. "Sure!" He activated his eyes, the silver ring cutting through his irises.

Sarutobi watched as it happened. He was completely baffled. Neither the Namikaze nor the Uzumaki clans had any kekkai genkais in them. Sure, the Namikazes were renowned for their seal making and the Uzumakis were experts at water jutsus, but none of their skills could qualify for a bloodline limit. And a doujutsu at that?! Only two doujutsus had existed in Konoha before – the Uchiha's Sharingan and the Hyuuga's Byakugan. And now a brand new one had manifested? And in the human container of the Kyuubi?

Oh…the council was not going to like this…

He motioned for Naruto to come forward, and when the boy did, Sarutobi grabbed him by the face, pulling him closer for a better look. "Naruto, what effects does this have on your eyes?"

Naruto explained about the "flow" he had seen – the colors and shapes. Sarutobi nodded as the boy went into the best detail he could, letting go when Naruto finished and putting a fist to his chin as he thought.

"As far as I can tell, your doujutsu seems to focus on humans, and registers something internal about them. It could be anything from their chakra levels to their life force to even their elemental affinity. I'll most likely have to do research when I find the time, but for now you should know that you have a brand new kekkai genkai. This kind has never existed before, and until we know more, I suggest you work on trying to control it and figuring out its mechanics."

"Right!"

"Dismissed then."

The group made their way out of the tower, Kakashi instantly disappearing on "important business" and Sasuke leaving right afterward muttering about needing to train. Soon all that was left were Sakura, Naruto, and Haku.

Naruto turned to Sakura, a hopeful tone in his voice. "Ne, Sakura-chan? Now that we're back, ya wanna go on a date?"

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him. "Blech. All I wanna do right now is go home and take a nice, long bath. I haven't had a good one since we left Wave country." With that, she spared a rushed goodbye and ran home, leaving the other two behind.

Naruto sighed heavily, his shoulders dropping. Mustering up the energy, he jumped back up and turned to Haku. "Okay then. Haku! Wanna go get some ramen with me? I've been dying to have some ever since we got here!"

"If you wish, Naruto-sama."

"All right then! Let's go!"

He grabbed her hand, leading her through the streets of Konoha. When they reached Ichiraku's ramen stand, he plopped down onto a seat, Haku gracefully taking the one next to him. He banged his hand on the table, calling out to the kitchen.

"Oi! Teuchi-ji-san! You've got customers!"

There was a rustling as a young woman pushed the hanging drape out of her face, her long brown hair flowing behind her. When she saw Naruto, a happy smile drew itself across her face. "Naruto-kun!" she squealed. "You're back! It's been so long!"

"Ayame-nee-chan!" he grinned. "Yup! Just returned from my big mission!"

"How was it?" she asked. It was such a joy to serve Naruto. He was always such a bundle of energy whenever he stopped by, always crowing about being a ninja and how great their ramen was. She really couldn't see why the villagers hated him so much. There was nothing she could connect between him and the monster that almost destroyed their village. Her view shifted over to Haku, her smile widening. "And who's this?"

"This is Haku! I met her on the mission and we're friends now!"

"How do you do, miss?" Haku bowed as best she could from her sitting position.

"Oh you don't have to be polite with me, honey. Just call me Ayame, like everyone else."

"As you wish, Ayame-san."

Ayame gained a perplexed look and leaned over to Naruto, using her tray as a barrier to keep them from being seen. "She always like this?" she asked conspiratorially.

"At least she calls you san," he grumbled. "She calls me sama."

"_Really?"_ Naruto just nodded as though it wasn't really a problem. Ayame would have to ask about that later. She never thought Naruto would be the type to be so domineering, but then again, you couldn't judge people at first glance though he made it clear he found it annoying. "So, how was the mission, then?"

"Oh, it was _awesome_! You see, we…"

He launched into his story, giving his order to Teuchi when he greeted the boy heartily when he came out front. As his meal was brought to him, he wound down and then tore into it without abandon. Looking to the side, he noticed Haku taking a tentative bite of hers. Her eyes widened in surprise as the taste rushed into her. Naruto smiled.

"Good, ain't it?"

"It's very delicious," she agreed.

"Yup, ramen is definitely the king of all meals. I can't go long without having some in my stomach."

Haku glanced at the two already empty bowls by the boy's side and the several that were waiting to be served over the counter. Yes, she could certainly see Naruto's love of ramen. "It's my first time having it."

A clump of noodle's slipped out of Naruto's gaping mouth. "What…?" he asked sluggishly.

"It's my first time having ramen. My village was small and did not have such a place, and Zabuza-san and I tended to avoid heavily populated places when we went rogue, so we rarely ate in any kind of restaurant."

Naruto continued to stare at her. Never ate ramen before? Never knew the bliss that was the mixture of noodle and broth? How could this be? It was blasphemous! Well, he would certainly cure her of her ramen malnourishment. He slammed a hand down on the counter.

"Teuchi-ji-san! Two more bowls of ramen! One spicy vegetable and one chicken!" Naruto turned back to Haku who was looking at it him strangely. "I'm gonna show you just how great ramen is." He would teach her all that she needed to know and then some. It was his _duty_ to bring her into the light!

"Naruto-sama, that isn't necessary-"

"Haku, you're supposed to be my tool, right?" Oddly a squeal of delight was heard off to his left, but all he could see was Ayame staring at them with some sort of dreamy look in her eye. Huh, that was weird…

"Yes, Naruto-sama."

"And that means you have to listen to whatever I say, right?"

Another squeal. Really, Ayame-nee-chan was getting weirder by the minute.

"Yes, Naruto-sama."

"Then I _order_ you to eat some more ramen!"

Haku looked as though she was going to say something, but instead opted to only sigh. She looked at her master and smiled in fond annoyance. "As you wish."

"Alright!" He waited as two more bowls of steaming noodles was put in front of Haku, Teuchi winking at him for managing to corrupt another innocent. With all the business from the boy, and probably the girl as well if things were going this way, he and Ayame would be set for life! As he headed back into the kitchen, Teuchi kept an ear out as Naruto began his lecture.

"Now the proper eating of ramen is actually a quite difficult thing to master. You have to…"

RRRRR

The sky turned red as the two finished eating and made their way back to Naruto's apartment. Haku had to admit that Naruto did seem like an expert when it came to the subject of noodles, though she doubted she would ever love them or be as much a connoisseur as Naruto was.

Then again she doubted _anyone_ could beat the boy in that respect. Fifteen bowls and the boy was still going strong. She had barely managed four!

Naruto opened the door to his room, nervous about what was going to happen. He hadn't really thought about it before, but with nowhere else to go, Haku was going to be living with _him_, at least for a little while.

Actually it would be for much longer than that but Naruto had failed to realize the severity of Haku's devotion. Her ideas about her servitude to the lad would cause a great number of problems. Only time would bring them to light, though.

Now, although he thought Haku was cool and definitely a good friend, she was still a _girl_. Except for Sakura he'd never really had any interest in the opposite sex, but with the crashing realization that a rather pretty (and older) girl was going to be sleeping in the same room as him brought his nerves into a frayed state. He was just hitting puberty after all. No one could expect him _not_ to react in at least _some_ fashion.

He laughed anxiously as the mess that was his room came into view. Normally it was a mess. _Now_ it was bio-hazard site. With no one to clean it for nearly a month, dust had piled up on everything, causing his nose to itch significantly and his eyes to water. At least his garden was okay, positioned outside so that it could collect rain and sunlight. "Err…it's not much, but it's home."

Haku looked around. She was used to the squalor. After killing her father and running from home, she had lived on the streets for years before Zabuza found her. And even after that they hadn't lived in the most luxurious of places. In fact, the nicest place they had hung their kunai had been Gatou's. Needless to say, the man's taste had nothing to do with his personality.

She rolled up her sleeves. Right. Her new master obviously had a sedentary lifestyle unlike her former migratory one, so she had to adapt to it as well. If she wanted to make sure Naruto grew up healthily, she had to make sure that his environment was healthy. It was common sense.

Naruto stopped her as Haku went to pick up some empty instant ramen cups. "What are you doing?"

She blinked. "Cleaning up."

"You don't have to do that!" he flustered.

"As your tool, I must have a balanced repertoire of uses. Cleaning, while not a required one, would help with your growth."

"But-!" He had to think quickly. Haku constantly stated she was his tool, but he didn't think of her as one. He didn't want her to wait on him hand and foot; he wanted an equal, someone he could talk to. Already she was falling into the role of a subordinate, someone inferior. Naruto had been put through too many years of that to let anyone else feel that way. Inspiration flashed through him. "Haku, I order that you take a shower."

Haku blinked. "Naruto-sama?"

"You have to follow my orders. I'll do the cleaning. You go take a shower. You're probably tired after everything, so go take one."

Haku tilted her head to one side as if contemplating something. She put the ramen cups down and nodded. "As you wish, Naruto-sama."

Naruto grinned. "Bathroom's through there." He pointed at a door. "Towels should be there as well, and I'll get a pair of clothes you can sleep in." He shooed her into the bathroom, smiling as she locked door behind her. _Awesome! She listened to me! _It was a great plan, and he had done something nice as well. After all, both Haku and Sakura were girls, and Sakura wanted a bath, so surely Haku would like a shower. It felt good doing something for someone else. He could get used to it! Then it struck him.

_Crap! I still _ordered_ her to do it!_

Naruto groaned as he saw that he was only encouraging Haku's behavior. To get her to do things he didn't think she would do without an order, he'd _had_ to do so. Damnit, this was going to be hard. He had to find a gentle balance between the two – order and freedom. He never thought having someone like Haku around would be so difficult.

He glanced around, shrugged, and began to gather up the trash. It distracted him from the water running in the background and Haku's soft humming with it. He didn't think she'd be someone who'd sing in the shower! But the idea of Haku's naked-

Naruto burst into a wrack of coughing fits. Had to keep his mind from wandering like that! He wasn't a pervert, not like those adults who always passed out from a nosebleed because of his Oiroke no Jutsu. He was broken from his thoughts by Haku's voice.

"Naruto-sama, I am finished."

"Oh, how was the show-wa-wa-wa-wa…" A thin trail of red bled down to his lip. "Haku! Wh-what are you doing?!"

Haku cocked her head, confused. "What do you mean?"

Slapping a hand to cover his eyes, Naruto quickly spun around. "Why are you naked?!"

Haku looked down at herself. She was nude except for the towel she had flung across her shoulders. Water fell in tiny rivulets down her soft curves, glistening off her alabaster skin. A light blush on her cheeks was her only reaction.

"Is there something wrong?"

She didn't see what the problem was. Zabuza never seemed to care or even notice whenever she bathed or undressed. The man was more of a father-figure than any sort of romantic partner. This was mostly due to the fact that the man had absolutely no sex-drive from severe psychological scarring.

"Just…just put some clothes!" Naruto wildly waved behind him, gesturing at the extra pair of pajamas he had put aside for her. Haku nodded and went over to wear them, inadvertently giving a luscious show of her pert backside, accented by her recently released raven hair. Naruto forced himself to think other thoughts as Haku continued her shameless acts.

Being Hokage, ninjutsu, Sakura-chan.

The image of the pink-haired genin popped into his mind. Then she started to flirtingly remove her top.

Naruto immediately began to bang his head on the floor, a rather impressive action as his spine had to bend more than a normal person's could thanks to his sitting position. When he finally stopped, the image of a stripping Sakura had been erased from his mind, as well a good portion of his brain cells. Turning around, he saw that Haku was kneeling a few feet away from him.

Luckily she was dressed this time. Her frame was a bit too big for his clothes, and so her stomach and the ends of her legs and arms were showing. Haku pulled down on the sleeves. She hadn't worn civilian nightwear for a long time, opting instead for her shinobi wear so she could ready to leave or react to danger at a moment's notice.

Haku was a bit miffed at the way the shirt barely pushed against her chest. Due to years of malnutrition before Zabuza had rescued her and the harsh training after, her body had very little of the baby fat girls her age would normally have. Much of it was replaced by toned muscle, giving her body a very tight appearance. Mixed in with her loose clothing, it was one of the key factors for why she could disguise herself as a boy so easily. It had only been in the last year or so that her body had started to grow womanly charms, and that had been more or less slowed down by her training regiment and Spartan lifestyle.

Even though she had relegated most of her time and effort to ninjutsu, she was still a girl at heart. Her small breast size was a constant reminder of her child-like body. One of the main aspects of a kunoichi was the ability to seduce enemies. Haku doubted anyone would succumb to her charms when her body looked like it had barely passed puberty. Initially, this wouldn't have been a problem since she always pretended to be a boy, but now…

With Zabuza, it had been made clear that she'd never reveal her true gender. After all, being a female nuke-nin was extremely dangerous given the wild and downright sadistic tendencies of many of Kirigakure's hunter-nins. The warnings and tales Zabuza had told her made Haku shiver down to her very bone as she realized the all too scary truth of his words.

But Naruto-sama obviously expected different of her. He expected her to act more like a normal girl than a tool. While Haku simply could not understand being anything other then a tool to be used, being more than a weapon would be easy enough. Obviously, being more like a normal girl meant having a more girlish appearance. She would have to strive to achieve that.

Regardless of Haku's concerns, Naruto thought she was very cute. The girl's hair had again been pulled into a bun at the top of her head, covered by a white holder, a few strands falling down her face. There was a very innocent beauty to her. He neglected to think about the way she had almost killed him.

Naruto gulped. This was a part he was dreading. The problem?

Only one bed.

Now even though he was sure most of the boys in his ninja class would have killed for a chance like this, Naruto wouldn't. He _knew_ Haku. He _liked_ Haku. She was his _friend_. And so he was going to do the _smart_ thing. He wasn't going to let Naruto Jr. make the decision for him. Especially about someone who could easily remove Naruto Jr. from the equation completely.

"The bed's ready for ya, Haku."

She instantly saw the problem. "But there is only one."

"Yeah, and _you're_ the one who's gonna sleep there."

"But Naruto-sama, as your tool, I-"

"No! You sleep! You sleep there!" He pointed at the bed with an impassioned finger. There was no way in _hell_ he was gonna let her sleep on the floor when there was a way she didn't have to.

Haku said nothing. She simply bowed respectfully and slipped into the bed. "Good night, Naruto-sama."

"Night, Haku."

Naruto bit his lip as he watched her close her eyes.

_Crap! I ordered her _again!

Yeah, this was going to be a problem.

RRRRR

A few days passed and Haku became gradually accustomed to life in Konoha. She still followed Naruto wherever the boy went and lacked the appropriate modesty for a girl her age, but for the most part Naruto couldn't find anything wrong with the relationship he was in with the girl. She was his friend and kept him company, and after the isolation he had gone through for many years, it was exactly what he needed.

The nights were terrible though. Haku had two problems.

One, she was grabby when she slept. So many times Naruto had woken up in the middle of the night to find himself engulfed by the girl, which was surprising since Naruto made damn sure he slept on the other side of the room so _he_ wouldn't be the one to accidentally attempt such. He had initially freaked out, but with repeated occurrences had become used to it and learned to escape. This led to the second problem.

Probably due to running away from hunter nins for so long, Haku instinctively threw senbons at any noise that was made around her. Naruto had almost been, and sometimes was, turned into a target dummy for her. She never hit his vitals but _damn_ those needles _hurt!_

Other than that, everything was fine.

However, the chaos that was slowly boiling from the nature of their bond would erupt sooner or later. And heaven have mercy on anyone who was caught in the result's proximity.

When Naruto looked back on it all, he figured that it could have been a whole lot worse. And to be honest, the day's incidents were actually quite funny.

The day had started a bit eventfully. A member of ANBU had arrived at Naruto's apartment, requesting their presence in front of the Hokage. When they arrived, Sarutobi immediately sprung several tests of practice and theory on Haku to analyze her aptitude and style.

The girl had done very well in most of the tests. Sarutobi had found the way she had lodged half a dozen senbon in the crotch of her male combat examiner harsh and unorthodox, but ultimately effective. Haku scored perfectly on her anatomy scores as expected, and everyone was both quite pleased and a bit disturbed by her intimacy with the insides of the human body. And her kekkai genkai was a treat to behold as the ninja created a miniature statue of the Hokage out of ice.

In the end, she was bestowed the rank of special jounin and delegated two jobs – bodyguard to Naruto (which Haku had planned on doing anyway) and a relief medic nin for the hospital. Sarutobi had handed off a couple of basic medical jutsu scrolls to the girl, saying that their use would be two-fold. He didn't have to explain further.

On Naruto's new kekkai genkai, he didn't have anything new to say. It was still too early to determine exactly what the doujutsu's power were, and required a few more days of research before he could. Naruto had let him off the hook with that, being surprisingly patient.

Sarutobi had given Haku a slight advance on her salary, so Naruto decided to get some new equipment and supplies for Haku. Seeing as the girl only owned a few pair of clothing and had been increasingly leeching off his, Naruto thought that it would be good for her to get some new clothes. It would be a pleasant outing, and Haku could further integrate herself into Konoha's society as a normal person instead of a runaway shonobi.

It was supposed to be nice. It was supposed to be fun.

It _wasn't_ supposed to end up creating an urban legend.

_Never_ underestimate the cunningness and tenacity of a devoted girl.

The two had made their way to one of the many clothing stores in Konoha, one that specialized in ninja outfits and the like. With a ring from the door chime, the two entered.

The saleswoman smiled as she saw a young woman wearing rather tomboyish clothes enter the shop. Then her smile decidedly lost its warmth and plummeted into a cold snarl. The demon was with her.

Naruto forced a calm expression on his face as he made his way to the counter. He already recognized the warning signs of a biased villager and could immediately envision the verbal abuse the lady would heap on him. But he had to keep a steady hand and not retaliate in any way. He wasn't dealing with just himself now; he had to think of Haku as well. If it weren't for this train of thought he probably would've just turned around and left at first glance. However, things were bound to go downhill anyway.

Before he could say anything, the woman interrupted with a biting putdown. "We don't serve _your_ kind here."

Naruto pushed down the image of him trashing the damn place and plastered a fake smile on his face. "We'd like to buy some clothes, please." The polite tone made him want to puke.

"Didn't you hear me? I won't serve you."

"But I'm not the one who needs clothes. It's her." He gestured at Haku who watching the interaction with a subtle purse to her lips.

The saleswoman looked Haku over with a critical eye. "And is she acquainted with you?"

"Erm, sort of."

"Then I won't sell to her."

"Why?!"

She let out a nasty smirk, glad to see that she was creating some sort of turmoil in the jinchuuriki. He deserved whatever abuse anyone could and should deal out. "Because I don't want people to think I peddle my wares to ones who deal with demons."

Naruto bit back his scathing reply. _No, keep it down. Keep it together._ He ground his teeth together, his eyes narrowing. "What do I have to do so that you'll sell her what she needs?"

"Leave my store. Just you."

"Fine!" If that what was all she wanted, then he would gladly do it. He was sure Haku could peruse the store and find what she needed all by herself. At least he wouldn't have to deal with that ignorant bitch anymore. He turned around to go but was called back by the woman.

"Ah, ah!"

"What it is?" Naruto growled. His quick temper was already cracking through his self-imposed calmness. If he didn't keep a stern hold on it he would go ahead and trash the place and _damn_ the consequences!

"Say, 'I'm a demon.'"

Naruto's blood went from boiling hot to freezing cold. "What?" he asked in a small, quiet voice.

The woman let out a cruel smile, accentuated by her cutting tone. "Before you leave, I want you to tell me you're a demon. It's part of the deal. Take it or leave it."

"That's it! Come one, we're going to another store, Haku." Naruto grabbed the girl by the hand and attempted to pull her out of the store.

"It's just going to be the same everywhere else you go," the woman crooned. Oh, she was so enjoying this. Naruto and Haku turned around. She continued to smirk. "You know it's the truth. And you know I'm the one with the best offer. Oh, and it won't matter if your little friend comes by herself next time. By this time tomorrow, the whole district should know _allll_ about her."

Naruto came up short. His mind raced. It was always like this, like this as far back as he could remember. The insults, the ostracizing behavior, the beatings, even the few assassination attempts. He remembered that fear, that despair. And it wouldn't stop coming back, even now.

All he had to say was a few words. Just a few meaningless words. I am a-

"_He's never been the demon you see him as. He's a proud member of Konoha. He's Naruto Uzumaki."_

They were just words.

"I'm…I'm a de-"

"That's enough, Naruto-sama." Haku gently placed a hand against his chest, stopping him from finishing the sentence. She turned to the woman, her face revealing nothing. But her body language was screaming warnings to any who could perceive them. "You will sell us the clothes."

"Wha…?"

"You will sell us the clothes." Haku repeated.

The woman snorted. "And why should I?"

Naruto could barely see Haku's hand move, and the woman, without any kind of training didn't see anything at all. But she could feel the point of something lightly press up against the soft flesh between her throat and jaw. Looking down in shock, she saw Haku had a senbon pressed just against her skin. Haku's face matched her actions, cold aggression.

"We are customers. So you will sell us what we want."

"Wha-what are you doing?!" the woman exclaimed fearfully. She tried to back away but Haku had positioned herself so that the counter was at the woman's back. "I'll have the police on you for attempted assault!"

"No, you won't." Haku pressed the senbon a little more, drawing a bit of blood. This prevented the woman from trying to frantically retort. "I have been assigned by the Hokage himself to be Naruto-sama's bodyguard. But even if he didn't, I would have done so anyway. Naruto-sama is my master, and I will not allow any harm to befall of him, physical or mental." The air grew colder for a minute. "And certainly not from your pettiness. Now, you will sell to us."

The woman blubbered in agreement. Haku nodded and removed the throwing weapon. Then she went to check the rows of ninja clothing, keeping a careful eye on the saleswoman to make sure she didn't try anything funny.

Time passed and Haku finally found all she was looking for, including several outfits of both civilian and shinobi attire. Naruto noted that Haku preferred traditional clothing when it came to the normal ones, a few kimonos and yukatas. Her shinobi clothing was similar to her old ones – shortened gis on top of slightly baggy pants and shirts, colored a mixture of black, white, and blue. She also bought a few unmarked masks, a connection to her older life, as well as a few other miscellaneous apparel that would prove helpful.

They gathered it all up and went to pay for it, the woman ringing up the purchase. With a scowl, she tallied the final number. "100,000 ryou."

"100,000 ryou?!" Naruto shouted. "That's ludicrous!" The woman wasn't even _trying_ to be subtle with her prejudice and sore attitude.

"It's what you'll pay. Don't expect me to just-"

She was cut off when Haku's hands disappeared again, senbon outlining the woman's neck as they just missed her and punctured the wall. She looked up with tearful eyes as Haku glared back.

"We will pay the normal price."

"B-but-"

"We will pay the normal price."

"Al-alright."

The woman rang up another number, one that was much fairer than before. The two paid and left the store with their merchandise, allowing the woman to collapse to her knees and break down into a shivering and sobbing mess. Naruto looked at Haku with awe and a little fear.

"You didn't have to do all that, Haku."

"I said I would be yours, Naruto-sama, to do as you wish. Keeping those that wish you ill from doing so is a given."

"I guess…" He looked off to the side with a troubled expression, causing Haku to become a bit worried. She _had_ gone a bit overboard in there, but she felt it had been necessary. Still, what made the woman so adamant about Naruto? And what was this talk of demons? She did not understand…Her concerns were waylaid when Naruto looked back with a nasty grin on his face. "That was awesome what you did, though. I thought that hag'd pee her pants!"

Haku smiled. "Indeed."

The rest of the day continued like that, Haku threatening shop owners when they refused service simply because Naruto was with her. The worst incident, or perhaps best if you were watching from Naruto's point of view, was at one of the weapon stores. When Haku had begun her threats, the shopkeeper, a retired ninja, had retaliated with a kodachi to put the girl in her place. He was shocked and then horrified when Haku froze the sword's metal and then broke it into a thousand pieces with her kekkai genkai.

The girl had been labeled the "ice demon" of Konoha after that, thanks to both her association with Naruto and her Hyouton abilities. Sarutobi had to answer to a bunch of angry villagers because of it, but he felt it was worth the headache if someone could openly support Naruto now. He had tried to when Naruto was just a young child, but to side with the town pariah had brought the council and Danzo on his head. The fools could hardly do anything significant to him, but it wasn't worth the chance of even the smallest political civil war, especially shortly after the Kyuubi had razed Konoha. They had just come to an albeit shaky truce with Rock country, and any weakness could have been exploited to catastrophic consequences.

The last stop for them was the Yamanaka's flower shop. The shop owner, Inoichi, held the same sentiments as the rest of the village did for Naruto, but he also had a grudging respect for the blonde's green thumb. Even if he could hate the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki, he could never hate another plant lover. Thus, it was one of the few places Naruto could go without being instantly run out or exorbitantly overcharged, though there was still an underlying level of tension there.

When Naruto walked in, the first person he saw was Ino working on a bouquet of flowers. The young girl worked there whenever she didn't have training or missions as she found the surrounding plant life calming. As the two had often come across each other when Naruto was either buying new plants or looking for botanical advice, the two had formed a somewhat friendly banter between each other. Naruto still thought Ino was a Sasuke-tard, and Ino thought Naruto was just an idiot, but the two got along better than most would have thought.

"Hey, Ino."

The ponytailed blonde turned to Naruto and flashed him a tight smile. "Hey, Naruto-kun." She placed the bouquet down and walked over to him. "What are you here for?"

"I was wondering if that fern I ordered from Rice country came in yet."

"Just wait a minute. I think daddy put it over here somewhere." As the girl rummaged through the pile of unopened boxes, she made small talk. "So how are things at Team 7? Has Sasuke-kun asked about me at all?"

"Nope."

His frank answer pissed her off a bit. He could have at least mentioned something about Sasuke. She decided to have some revenge. "You should probably give up on Sakura, ya know. Even Forehead isn't desperate enough to go out with the likes of you when such specimens of male perfection like Sasuke-kun are around." Ino placed a finger to her mouth. "Though…if you two got together she'd stop bothering my Sasuke-kun." She'd never admit, but Ino missed her friendship with the rosette.

Naruto scowled. "I'll turn Sakura-chan over to me. Just you wait and see." He smirked and waved his hand flippantly. "Besides, you have just about as much chance as getting Sasuke-teme. He ignores so many of the girls…Probably gay."

"Don't say bad things about Sasuke-kun!" Ino shrieked, bashing Naruto over the head with the box she had in her hands. Haku flinched, and Naruto had to stop her from retaliating. Ino noticed the looks traveling between the two and realized she had never seen the girl before. "Who's this?"

"This is Haku," he responded. "She met our team in Wave country and wanted to come with us. So she lives here now!"

Ino noticed how close the two were standing together and how Haku was watching almost protectively over the boy. Add to that the fact that she seemed older and…Ino looked suspiciously at Naruto. "I thought you said you were still chasing Sakura. What are you and her…?"

"Huh?" Naruto looked between the two. He laughed. "It's not like that! Haku is my-"

"Tool."

Ino blanched. "What was that?"

"I am Naruto-sama's tool."

Ino glared at Naruto. "What the hell kinda kinky stuff have you been doing?!"

"No! It's not like that!"

"Then what is it?!"

"It's…it's…ARGH!" Naruto pulled at his hair. Why did things always have to turn out like this? It was just as bad at not having enough attention paid to him. Hell, it was even worse! He couldn't just run away from this situation. "It's not like that, okay? It's…it's complicated."

Ino pouted. She couldn't just let him off the hook so easily and without a fight, but today was the day she was supposed to check on the special "ninja" plants her father had been experimenting with. She couldn't waste time. Though the point of creating plants that could do the stuff he described didn't particularly make a lot of sense or seem practical. Petals that could henge into differently colored petals? What use could that _possibly_ have?

She glanced a quick casing of Haku. The girl was beautiful in an unearthly way. Definitely something that would attract Sasuke's own beauty. But still…Ino cheered silently at the comparison between their chests. Yup, she was still Konoha's (self proclaimed) sexiest kunoichi.

"Fine," she muttered. "I'll let you go for now, but I want full details when you come again."

"I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?" Naruto had learned from an early age not to argue with Ino. She would bitch and cry and complain until your ears bled. It was only after the first dozen times (and he only lasted that long because of his own ungodly stubbornness) that he just resigned to his fate and followed her demands.

Ino smiled brilliantly. "Here's your order." She slid the box she had just smacked Naruto with across the counter.

Naruto frowned. "You're kidding, right?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

He sighed. "Thank you very much."

"Very good," she cooed mockingly. "See ya, Naruto. Goodbye, Haku-san. I'll tell Chouji and Shikamaru that you said hi."

The two gave their partings and left, heading back to Naruto's apartment.

RRRRR

Several more days passed, and the two became more used to each other's company. Haku had been forced by Naruto to be more careful and reserved when it came to her body. The boy could hardly take it at times when the girl walked around his apartment with barely a stitch of clothing. Or when she asked him if he preferred bigger breasts and a shapelier figure in a completely clinical tone. How the hell was he supposed to answer _that?!_ Besides that, things had fallen into a lull.

Until Naruto was summoned by the Hokage.

Naruto was busy watering his plants as Haku poured over the medical jutsus she had been given. Until she could efficiently perform at least half of them, Sarutobi wouldn't let her begin her work at the hospital. No work meant no money, and no money meant it was harder for Naruto-sama. The solution was simple.

The doorbell rang, and Haku answered it, allowing Naruto to continue tending to his garden. The person on the other side of the door was another ANBU member, this one with a cat mask. Haku greeted him politely. "How do you do, ANBU-san? What can I do for you?"

"Is Naruto Uzumaki here?"

"Hmm, who is it, Haku?" Naruto looked around the corner, his eyes widening. "Huh, ANBU? What do you want?"

"The Hokage wishes to speak with you. I have come to be your escort."

"What about Sarutobi-jii-san?"

"He may have found out about the nature of your kekkai genkai."

A/N: K, here's the next chapter revision. As before, I took out a few of the more silly things and replaced them with some more serious stuff. Also, I tried to add a bit more to Haku's personality and thought process, even though it was a bit odd in the working.

_Next Chapter: Unseen Eyes_


	3. Unseen Eyes

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, yeah. What makes you think that, yeah? Now shut up before I blow you up…Yeah.

**Refraction****  
Chapter 3: Unseen Eyes  
By Irritus185**

Naruto looked around him. How many times had he entered Hokage tower, called for or otherwise? The main headquarters of Konoha was almost like a second home to him; it had jiji, and it was the place he was brought almost every time he had been caught in his more monumental pranks (at least when he hadn't put too much effort into covering his tracks). Still, for a boy as young as he was, and for a ninja as low-ranked as he was, he knew the building better than most of the people in the village.

As he followed the ANBU leading both him and Haku, he took note of some strange oddities in both the elite nin and older girl's movements. Every so often, they would make something almost like a hop, or take a longer step than normal, or even change their path completely as though something was blocking them. Naruto just continued, not seeing why such actions were necessary. It was rare for anything to just be lying around the corridors of the tower as tidily kept as it was, and he didn't see anything at all. The frequency of their quirky evasions decreased the closer they got to the center of the tower. He shrugged. Well, if they weren't going to bring it up, he wasn't going to ask them.

Stopping at the grand double doors to the Hokage's office, the ANBU sidled to the side and motioned for them to go ahead. Naruto gave a sloppy salute, and Haku bowed politely, before the two of them entered. Naruto grinned as he saw Sarutobi at his desk, filing paperwork as per usual.

"Hey, jii-san!" he bellowed.

The elder man smiled warmly at the blonde. "Hello, Naruto." He turned and nodded at his guardian. "Good afternoon to you as well, Haku-kun."

Haku clasped her hands together and gave a formal bow. "It is an honor to meet you again, Hokage-sama."

Naruto barked a laugh. "Eh, there's no need to be so polite, Haku. Jiji doesn't deserve that kind of respect."

Sarutobi frowned mockingly. "Most people would respect the leader of their village and head of their military forces."

Sticking out a tongue, his eyes falling back into their trademark fox gaze, Naruto drawled, "Yeah, most people, but I'm gonna be the next Hokage, so I'm not most people." He turned to Haku and winked.

Haku tilted her head to the side and blinked slowly. That same serene smile crossed her face. "As you wish, Naruto-sama." She looked back at Sarutobi. "Hello again, ojii-sama."

Sarutobi hid his chuckle behind his robed arm at the compromise, though Naruto had no such compunctions and laughed out loud. Haku's expression did not change, but her eyes did hold a hint of confusion in them, like there was a joke that she didn't know was being told. Sarutobi waited for Naruto's laughter to dwindle before he cleared his throat. "Now, as you already know, I've called you here because I believe I've discovered the effect of your doujutsu."

Naruto sprang forward, his eyes bright and passionate, and slammed his hands down on the large wooden desk. "Yeah, yeah!" he cried. "Tell me 'bout my new abilities! I bet they're awesome, right?! Like the colors are the other guy's lifeforce, or what jutsus they could know, or something cool like that! Right?! Right?!"

Sarutobi waved a hand at the hyper boy. "Now, now. I said I have an _idea_ of what it could, but I still need to do a few tests to determine if it's accurate or not."

"Well, c'mon then! Let's get it over with!"

Sighing, the man folded his hands as his mind tiredly chuckled. "Very well. First, I need you to activate your doujutsu again."

Naruto nodded sharply and called the chakra to his eyes. He waited for the colors to start swarming around Sarutobi, but was unpleasantly surprised to find nothing appeared. His brow furrowed. Trying again, he gathered more chakra. Still nothing. A frown deepened on his face. What was going on?

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes. "Is something wrong, Naruto?"

The boy's eyes widened and settled. He laughed and put a hand behind his head, a subtle sign only a few knew that meant the boy was bothered by something and attempting to hide it. "Eheheh, it's nothing. Just forgot for a second how to direct my chakra."

A cool hand touched the bare skin on his arm. Haku's gentle voice followed. "If you need help, Naruto-sama, I can give you a quick refresher."

Naruto shrugged her hand off and laughed. "No, no, it's okay." He turned to the girl, hiding the humiliation that had begun to trickle into his subconscious. What was wrong with him? He had been able to call his kekkai genkai so easily. Was it all just a fluke? Was it all just a temporary side-effect of when he had tapped into the Kyuubi's chakra? "There's really nothing to worry ab-" He stopped.

Haku was looking at him in concern, but that wasn't what made him pause. Surrounding her was the bluish light ribbons that he had come to associate with the girl. They flowed around her in varying speeds, some fast, some slow, some hectic, some not. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. Naruto glanced back at Sarutobi. Nothing. Back to Haku. The spectacle he had grown used to when he activated his doujutsu.

What did it mean?

"What…what's going…"

"Is there something you want to say?"

Focusing on the man in the robes and tricorne he so desired, Naruto finally noticed a small quirk in the man's lips. Something clicked. "You…you aren't jii-san, are ya? You're not anything."

The man tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Naruto swallowed as his mind began to piece parts of the puzzle together. "My eyes can only see those colors on people, not animals or plants or anything. You're not either, so that can only mean…" He spun around, his eyes searching. The scene awaiting him smacked him in the face like a sledgehammer. A plethora of hues assaulted his vision when he looked back at the entrance to the office, swimming in a stationary position right next to the doors in a cozy armchair with no body to wear them. He whipped out a hand triumphantly. "That was only a genjutsu, and the real you is there!"

The air shimmered fluidly before dissolving into Sarutobi. He smiled appraisingly and clapped his hands. "Very good, Naruto. I'm happy to see you figured it out."

Haku blinked carefully before raising her voice. "So, you mean to say, we've been caught in a genjutsu ever since we entered the room?" She couldn't believe; she had no inkling that she was being deceived. There was no resonant hum of chakra in the air to signal the use of a jutsu, and she could not feel a disturbance to show someone was hiding. And yet Sarutobi had made it seem like the task was nothing. Haku began to fully understand why the wizened man was known as the "God of Shinobi" throughout all the Elemental countries.

"Not since you just entered the room, since you entered the building."

Naruto frowned petulantly and huffed. "What are ya talking 'bout, jiisan? There weren't any genjutsu when we came inside."

Sarutobi quirked an eyebrow and smiled capriciously. "Oh really? Are you sure there wasn't anything strange that happened when you were walking to my office?" How he enjoyed being the one to pull a joke on the boy for once instead of the other way around. It was for educational purposes, sure, but the feeling of satisfaction he got from Naruto's confusion came all the same.

"None I can really think of. I mean, Haku and that ANBU guy were acting weird but…" His face fell and his eyes changed. He faced Haku. "Why were you acting that way, Haku? You were so jittery, moving like ya hand ants in your pants or something."

"I was simply avoiding the people in the hall and sidestepping some random debris on the floor, Naruto-sama."

"What are you talking about? There weren't that many people on the way here, and I didn't see any trash or nothing."

"There were only a few pieces, Naruto-sama. But I did find it odd you did not even bother to step over them and…"

She trailed off. The two looked at each other as something passed between them. They both turned back to a softly chuckling Sarutobi, his eyes twinkling with mirth. He leaned forward, clasping his hands together and leaning his chin on them. "Hmm? Did you think of something?"

Naruto's mouth opened to say something and then closed. He shook his head. "You mean, it was all fake?!"

He nodded. "Yes." Standing up from the chair, he walked back over to his desk. "It would seem that even when not activated, your new kekkai genkai has given you a slight resistance to genjutsu. There was not anything or anyone in the path to my office, simply one illusion after another, each more powerful than the last. After a while, even you were affected by them. It looks like most low-level and a few mid-level genjutsu are more or less useless against you. But what really amazes me is how your doujutsu works when actually activated."

He sat down, pulling out his pipe and crushing some tobacco into it. Sarutobi ignited it and inhaled a small amount before puffing out a few smoke rings. Feeling more relaxed, he continued. "Even if the genjutsu has infected your chakra system, forcing you to sense what it wants you to, your eyes can still somewhat see the truth of the matter." He nodded and clamped the pipe between his teeth. "My double didn't have a 'Flow,' as you put it, of its own, correct?"

Naruto grimaced. "Yeah, I thought that was really weird when I couldn't see anything. I mean, Haku had one and everything, right? So how come you didn't? But, when I looked at where you _really_ were, there was one there even though I didn't actually see ya."

"Indeed, it appears as though your bloodline reacts to humans and _only_ to humans, or at least something similar to them. My double, though it may have looked like me, _wasn't_ actually me, so your eyes basically ignored it. But when they came upon me, though your brain didn't register my physical presence thanks to the genjustu, your doujutsu still registered my actual 'existence.'"

"Huh?" Naruto felt like he was about to go cross-eyed at Sarutobi's explanation. He was there but wasn't there? His presence couldn't be seen but his _existence_ could? What was the old man babbling about, and why did he feel extremely ignorant right now?

Sarutobi chuckled at the boy's bafflement. "I'm afraid it is a bit complicated, but everything will begin to make more sense once I verify the second part of my hypothesis. To put it simply, you will always _see_ a person, regardless if they cast an illusion to hide themselves, but you can still be _affected_ by their genjutsu. This ability will certainly come in handy if you go against someone who primarily uses genjutsu."

Naruto pursed his lips. "So that means I can destroy people even if they use genjutsu on me?" That would be great! Iruka had said genjutsu was Naruto's weakness thanks to his horrific chakra control, so every bit that helped would only make him greater!

"In a way, but-"

"Yeah!" Naruto jumped and pumped a fist up.

"It's not that simple, Naruto. Genjutsu is still dangerous even if you can partially see through it."

The boy stopped midway in his premature celebration. "Huh?"

Sarutobi sighed. "Never mind. You'll come to understand when you gain more knowledge about the nature of your doujutsu, as well as through training. In any case, come here. I have to perform one more experiment on you to make sure my guess is right."

Naruto complied and sat in the chair facing the desk, Haku silently filling in the one next to him. Sarutobi cleared his throat. "Now Naruto, I want you to look at my Flow carefully. Whenever I ask you, I want you to tell me what the dominant color or colors in it are."

"Domina-wha?"

"He means what color there is most of, Naruto-sama."

Naruto grinned and perked up. "Ah, right! I knew that!"

Sarutobi prevented himself from rolling his eyes. Honestly, this boy…No, forget that. He cleared his mind and continued. "All right, let's begin."

For the next hour or so, Sarutobi occasionally questioned Naruto as he focused on him. Each time the boy came up with something different –somewhat yellow mixed with orange and pink, mostly red, a deep indigo, and so on and so forth. When they finally finished, Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin. It had taken him two weeks of intensive research to make an educated guess, but from the data he just gathered, he was sure one of his initial theories was right. How ironic, though, for such a subtle doujutsu to fall into the lap of such a rambunctious lad.

"Well, well?!" Naruto quipped excitedly. "Did you figure it out?! Do ya know what my bloodline does?!"

"Now, now, calm down…" Sarutobi gestured at the blonde. Really now… "Yes, I believe I'm certain of what your kekkai genkai does. But before I tell you, I want to ask you something. Do you know what I was thinking of when I asked you what my Flow's color was?"

Naruto puffed out his cheeks and sank back into his chair. "How could I know that?!" he asked impatiently. "I can't tell what you're thinking! I'm not a mind-reader!"

_No, perhaps not like the Yamanaka, but maybe you're something even greater than that._ Sarutobi took a deep breath. "Naruto, each time I was recalling a memory that was very dear or very important to me. Something that made me happy."

The birth of his first child.

"Something that made me angry."

Orochimaru's betrayal.

"Something that made me sad."

Minato's sacrifice and Naruto's unfair sentence.

"Each one left a deep mark on my heart, and each one made me feel something very strong. Do you know what that means?"

Naruto turned in on himself in thought. What the _heck_ was that supposed to mean. Sarutobi's memories? Did that mean he could read a person's memories? No, that couldn't be right. He just saw colors, not someone's inner thoughts. He sighed and shook his head in defeat, his shoulders sagging.

Haku looked between Naruto and Sarutobi. She understood what it meant, but did she have the right to…? She saw Sarutobi make an imperceptible nod at her. She smiled. Turning to her master, she said, "Naruto-sama, ojii-sama means you can read a person's emotions, that you can see what they're feeling."

Naruto raised his head. "I can do what?" He could see what someone was feeling? He knew what they were thinking? He could sense if they were happy or sad or mad? What…what…

"What the hell's the point of that?!" he burst out. "How's that gonna help me be the greatest ninja ever?! Am I gonna beat someone by knowing that they're embarrassed or in love or something?! It's totally useless!" How was he supposed to beat Sasuke's now?! The teme had that awesome Sharingan; he could copy any jutsu and use it as his own! All Naruto had was the ability to see if someone was having a good day or not! There was no way Sakura was going to like him with such a wimpy skill!

Sarutobi sighed. He was afraid Naruto would react this way. The boy was too hung up on "cool techniques" or "flashy spells," just like all of the younger generations. Complicated, strong moves were becoming more important and sought-after than weak, more useful ones. Perhaps peace did have a somewhat negative effect on children – it weakened their appreciation of the simpler things. Well, he couldn't just let the boy go on and on like a spoiled child. Naruto had a great gift, and only by learning about and cultivating it could he bring out its full potential.

"Naruto, as a ninja, being able to see a person's emotions is a wonderful skill. For interrogation and diplomacy, it's invaluable for trying to corner the person. With enough experience, you can tell when someone is lying, or if they are more eager for something than they outwardly show. To be able to read a person is absolutely needed in the realms of subterfuge and sabotage. People 'hide' their emotions all the time, but to truly suppress them is all but impossible."

"It is true, Naruto-sama," Haku said, placing her hand on Naruto's shoulder. "A shinobi is known for killing their emotions, but very few are able to completely do so. Remember what I said about sealing my heart to fulfill Zabuza-san's wishes?" Naruto winced when he looked into her eyes. They absolutely _ached_, and her Flow was spiraling down into darker colors. "Though my face may have looked like ice, my heart was anything but."

Naruto looked down, ashamed at his actions. He didn't know why but guilt was welling up in him. No, no he knew quite well why. Indirectly, he was still the cause of Zabuza's death, and though Haku may have forgiven him, he knew that she would never forget that fact…and neither would he. He rose up to speak. "Haku…I…"

Sarutobi interrupted him. He realized this was a poignant moment, but he needed to tell Naruto about his new skill. An untamed kekkai genkai was one of the most dangerous abilities around, even if it seemed, at the moment, like a domesticated house cat next to the wild tiger of the Sharingan and Byakugan. "Emotions play an important role on the battlefield as well, Naruto, though it may not be as obvious as a fireball or lightning bolt. Emotions change wildly in combat, and someone who is able to read and predict how someone acts has a better chance of coming out the victor. The Sharingan may predict _what_ a person will do, but your doujutsu has the possibility of showing _how_ and _why_."

Absently, Naruto's mind wandered back to the bridge. He remembered the wave of red, crashing down on him and his team moments before the mercenary had attempted a charge. Is…is that what Sarutobi meant? He looked at the older man. "I…I guess I was acting pretty stupid there, huh, jii-san?"

He chuckled softly. "Everyone has their moments. You just have them more often than most." The blonde squawked in indignation, but Sarutobi continued unheeded. "In any case, now that I'm sure of what your doujutsu does, I can call upon the correct person to help you learn how to use it. Tomorrow, I'll find a teacher for you." Standing up, he moved around the table and fondly ruffled Naruto's wild mane of hair. "Do try not to be too much of a holy terror, alright?"

Naruto pouted under the man's ministrations. "Alright, jiji." He stood up. "C'mon, Haku. Let's go get some ramen. I gotta go tell someone about this, and Ayame-neechan is always a good ear for me." He stopped. "Maybe I can bum some ramen off Iruka-sensei, too."

She followed suit. "As you wish, Naruto-sama." She made a short bow to Sarutobi. "Good-bye, ojii-sama."

He smiled. "Goodbye, Haku-kun." Before the two teens left, he called out. "Oh, Naruto."

Naruto looked over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Every kekkai genkai deserves to have a name, right?"

He nodded slowly. "Uh-huh…"

"I thought of a name you might like. Your eyes can see into the souls of people and discover exactly what they're thinking and feeling on the inside." He chuckled at the edgy look on the child's face. "It's a name that seems simple at first, but can mean so much more – the Naitekigan."

Naruto looked at Sarutobi idly. The Inner Eye…huh? He sighed dramatically. "It's pretty lame, but I guess I'll take it. After all, a lame ability deserves a lame name." He turned around nonchalantly, but the corner of his lips was turned up ever so slightly. "See ya later, jiji."

He left the room, Haku following swiftly after him. As the door clicked shut, Sarutobi sat back down and gave a sigh of relief. Honestly, that boy…that boy…He picked up a sheet of paperwork, a mission report of sorts, and tossed it carelessly back on the desk. He took another puff from his pipe. Things were going to get _very_ interesting _very_ soon.

RRRRR

Training ground twenty was a rather plain-looking practice area compared to the other ones. It was mostly open space with a few trees and boulders sparingly scattered about to act as makeshift cover against attack. The crunching of gravel underneath soled feet announced the approach of people.

Looking at the piece of paper in his hand, Naruto scratched at the back of his head. Huh, so weird to have a teacher, err, _teachers_ like this. He knew the older one would definitely be of help considering his doujutsu's capabilities in genjutsu, but the other one was only his age! Regardless, if Sarutobi said that they could help him, he would take it.

He was hardly surprised at his team's reaction to him gaining another teacher. Kakashi seemed a bit miffed at first, but relented when he came to the realization that Naruto wouldn't badger _him_ as much thanks to _his_ (supposed) teaching status. Sakura just said good luck and chased after Sasuke, no doubt thinking it would be easier now that Naruto wouldn't bother her. And Sasuke? Well, he just made his customary "hnn" and ignored him.

He glanced to his side, where Haku was quietly walking. He grinned lopsidedly. "Err…Ya sure you want to join me, Haku? You don't have ta if you don't want to. I'm sure it'll be boring for ya since you'll sit around."

She merely smiled congenially. "As I have said many times before, Naruto-sama, I shall always be by your side. Besides, watching other ninjas in their training will only help me to become better, and I might pick up some tips on how to assist you."

"Well, what about your job at the hospital?"

"I am not scheduled for my first shift for another week yet. Until then, I am free to help you and do whatever you need."

"Well, if you're really sure…" At another smile, he hung his head in resignation. "Whatever…" Looking back up at the sound of fighting, he was pleased to see the ninjas he would join were in the middle of a spar. He raised a hand in greeting. "Yo!"

The two genin separated from each other at his call, looking at the blonde in annoyance and stoic indifference respectively. A wild-looking boy with a puppy at his side sneered as the blonde boy and black-haired girl approached.

"What the hell are you doin' here, idiot?"

Naruto flipped Kiba the bird. "Ah, shut yer yap, ya mutt. I'm not here to kick your ass today." Before the Inuzuka could angrily retort, Naruto waved cheerfully at the other silent genin. "Yo, Shino! How you doing?"

The boy pushed up his glasses, a slight buzzing echoing from inside his high-collared jacket. "I am agreeable right now. May I inquire as to why you're here, Naruto-san?"

"I believe I can answer that, Shino-kun." The teens watched as an attractive woman in her early twenties approached, red eyes gazing, while a much shyer and somewhat mousier brunette scampered by her side. Kurenai flashed a polite smile before talking to her genin. "The Hokage assigned me as a partial instructor to Naruto-kun thanks to the awakening of a bloodline in him. He said genjutsu is a heavy aspect of it, and as one of the foremost genjutsu users in Konoha, I was found best-suited."

Kiba turned with a skeptical eye onto Naruto, while Shino just watched cautiously and Hinata looked on anxietiously. "Huh, a bloodline? Yeah, right," he snorted. "As if the dead-last could get something as important as that. He's not even part of a clan or anything."

"Bite me, Kiba." Naruto growled. "Jii-san said it's the first of its kind, so obviously it doesn't matter if I'm part of a clan or not." He turned his nose up, looking down at Kiba imperiously. "But I guess you wouldn't know something like that when you have the brain of a dog."

Shino stepped forward, his eyes hidden behind heavily-tinted glasses. Naruto suddenly felt as though he were under a microscope. The sensation of barely-kept excitement flowed through him, and he didn't know where it was coming from or why. His thoughts were broken when Shino spoke.

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is your kekkai genkai composed of?"

Naruto grinned. At least someone believed him! "It's a doujutsu, just like Hinata-chan's! Speaking of which…" He made a flourished bow at the introverted girl. "Nice ta meet ya, Hinata-sensei!" He finished it off with a cheeky smile.

"Hinata-sensei?"

Kurenai intervened, seeing that Hinata was too busy blushing at all the positive attention Naruto was lavishing on her, and it seemed like she would pass out at any moment. "Sarutobi-sama figured to try and kill two birds with one stone. As it's a doujutsu and also deals with genjutsu in some form, he figured the best way to discover all its intricacies was to bring him to team eight, which deals with both – my illusions and Hinata's Byakugan."

"Yup!" Naruto raised his hands and looped them behind his head, occasionally hopping from one foot to the other. "I think it's awesome! I get two teachers at the same time! And the more I have, the faster I'll be able to become Hokage!"

"Like you'll ever get that strong," Kiba muttered out loud.

Shino gazed back at Naruto. "I see…" He paused for a moment. "As your bloodline is a doujutsu, it must be associated with something optical. The Hyuuga's Byakugan allows them to see everywhere and through anything. What does yours allow you to see?"

Naruto steeled himself for what was about to come next. Even after a day of thinking it through, he still thought the Naitekigan wasn't as cool as the other kekkai genkai he had heard of. Still, if Sarutobi said that it could make him stronger then he would just suck it up, stand up straight, and do his best to _make_ it the most awesome bloodline in existence! He had always been at a disadvantage, ever since he was little, but he always managed to come out on top at the end.

With the villagers and their hatred, with the exam and his grades, and, most recently, with Wave country and Zabuza and Haku – he would find a way to make it better.

Forcing the chakra to his eyes, he called out his doujutsu.

"Naitekigan!"

The silver rings wrapped their ways around his pupils and begun their rotation. Immediately the Flow burst into existence as colors radiated from the people around him. Naruto spent the next few minutes explaining the basics of what his ability did. His fear that his skill would be laughed at was not unfounded.

Kiba was laughing so hard his sides hurt and he bent over, accidentally tossing Akamaru to the ground in the process. "You…you can see feelings?! Ha! That is the most worthless thing ever! What are ya gonna do, hug your opponent into submission?!" His mirth dissolved into feral barks. "I knew you were a dobe, but even when you get some 'super power,' even _that's_ dead-last!"

"Sometimes, a bit of subtlety can mean all the difference against brute strength."

Kiba's joyful mockery caught in his throat as a wave of killing intent swirled around him, mixed with a sudden drop in the temperature. His eyes locked onto the dark-brunette next to Naruto, who he had ignored up till now since he was too focused on taking Naruto down a peg or two. Now, he wondered why he hadn't noticed her in the first place.

Luxurious long hair, alabaster skin, dark eyes and a slender figure made her fit the perfect image of a royal courtesan. Her face was tender and calm, her eyes wrinkled ever so softly in sweet glee and her mouth matched with joyful aplomb. At first glance, she seemed like a docile, beautiful young woman. But the more instinctual part inside of him, the one that made him more animal than human, was shouting at the top its voice that she was dangerous. That one small mistake would see him gutted and left for the crows.

Kiba watched in total stillness as Haku went on, her voice laced with velvet. "A shinobi knows to use all of his tools in battle, that _nothing_ is valueless when in the heat of the moment. Someone who just plows on ahead recklessly can quite easily fall into a trap that was laid with the smallest of effort. A shinobi who doesn't take note of his surroundings often has the making of a shinobi that doesn't return from a mission."

Nothing was said. Kurenai watched as her student fell underneath not a technique, but simply a careful usage of killing intent and body language. The girl knew what she was doing, and Kurenai wasn't going to interfere. Sometimes, Kiba needed to have his pride shaved off every once in a while. Still, that girl…She hadn't received any information on her in the report she'd received other than that she was somehow related to the young Uzumaki.

For the first time, Hinata spoke up. "Umm…Who…" She raised a shaky finger and pointed at Haku. "Who are you?" She didn't like the way that the girl was standing next to Naruto. The brunette was acting far too familiar for her liking. And Naruto was acting like nothing was amiss, that it was _normal_ for such a lovely lady to be in his presence. Not for the first time, she felt so ordinary and unappealing.

"Ah, forgive my discourtesy." Haku bowed as she formally introduced herself. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Haku. I am Naruto-sama's-"

"Friend! Friend! She's my friend." Naruto slapped a hand over Haku's mouth, silencing her from saying anymore, and tittered nervously. The last thing he needed was her to start her spiel on their whole master/servant relationship. As much as he liked Haku, her devotion to being his "tool" often brought more trouble than help. "Long story short, we met during one of our missions, she wanted to become a ninja so she followed us back to Konoha, and now works as a medic-nin at the hospital and part-timer helper for me." Naruto may not have been a great liar, but there were enough truths in his explanation to pass somewhat adequately.

Haku paused as Naruto looked at her plaintively and team eight watched in confusion. If that was what her master wanted then she would simply have to acquiesce to his wishes. She beamed at them, her words carefree and lilted. "Yes, I work as a part-timer helper for Naruto-sama, dealing with various jobs like cleaning and cooking, as thanks for him vouching to the Hokage for me." Unlike Naruto, she had no trouble lying to meet her needs.

Kurenai only gave it a brief thought. It wasn't her place to try and dig into others' personal lives. That was the past time of other purple-headed snake fetishists. "Very well," she said. "As long as you don't interfere, I don't see any reason why you can't stay."

"Thank you very much for the consideration."

Well, at least she was polite without being too extreme. Being in a team where each student had severe emotional demeanors made Kurenai worry sometime. She shook off that thought. "I'm afraid that all I can give you are refreshers on the details of genjutsu right now, Naruto-kun. My team hasn't reached the more advanced lessons yet, and it wouldn't feel right to give special attention to someone who isn't even my student. When it comes time for them, you're free to join in as well."

"Thanks, Kurenai-sensei!" He had no problem with that. It was actually refreshing to be part of a squad where the jounin didn't give preferential treatment. He had enough of that back on his own team with Sasuke and his blasted Uchiha status.

Kurenai smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. "Well, since the others were in the middle of their spars, we'll discuss genjutsu until they finish." She gestured at the genin, who took the order to continue what they were doing before Naruto arrived. Soon, the grunts and cries of battle filled the air. Kurenai took Naruto aside and sat him down across from her. "Now, what can you tell me about genjutsu?"

"Umm…" Naruto scrunched up his face. "It's the art of making things seem like something else?"

She chuckled. "Crude, but somewhat correct. Yes, genjutsu is the art of illusion, to cloud an enemy's senses and make them see and feel what you want them to. Do you know how that works?"

Naruto said nothing as a bewildered expression slapped itself onto his face. Kurenai frowned when he did not come forth with anything. "Didn't your jounin sensei tell you anything?"

Naruto scowled and cross his arms in front of his chest, looking away. "Kakashi-sensei doesn't really teach us much. He always shows up late, and when he is there, we just spend time on team tactics."

Kurenai felt anger well up inside her at that comment. What the hell was that man thinking? She knew of his chronic laziness and perverseness, but why was he even a teacher if he couldn't teach his students anything. Well, she would just have to remedy that problem, one piece at a time. Putting on her brightest smile, she explained. "Genjutsu works by taking one's chakra and infecting the target's chakra system with it. By doing so, we can force their system to register what we want it to, resulting in images or sounds or even physical sensations that only the target can feel. In other words, genjutsu users rewrite the systems of people so they react in the way we want."

"Yeah, yeah! Jii-san said something about the 'infection of the chakra system,' but I didn't really know what that meant."

"Yes, that's the basics of genjutsu. However, with a strong enough genjutsu other parts of the human body can be affected like muscles and the nervous system. That's why powerful genjutsu users are known to be able to kill people simply through illusions."

"Awesome! Does that mean I can do that, too?"

She smiled bitterly. "Sorry, Naruto-kun, but only people with very high chakra control can become genjutsu experts, and from what I've been told, your chakra control is not nearly good enough." The boy frowned, and she patted him on the shoulder in consolation. "However, from what I've gathered from Sarutobi-sama, your doujutsu allows you to see _through_ genjutsu. If that's the case, then rather than a genjutsu _expert_, you could be a genjutsu _destroyer_. With practice and knowledge, you could easily break through any genjutsu cast against you."

The boy's mouth exploded into joy again. "Wait, seriously?!" That would be even _more_ awesome! He could use kick-ass ninjutsu, and anyone who used genjutsu on him would just get their asses kicked! That would be great, and Sasuke would be totally jealous! _Suck on that, Sharingan-boya!_

"Yes, but there are still some things I have to confirm, so if you could humor me and let me test some genjutsu on you, I can begin to narrow down the specifics of your genjutsu resistance."

He snapped to attention. "Right, Kurenai-sensei!"

She giggled at his exuberance. "Then let's begin." Her hands began moving through the necessary seals. "I've been told that you're resistant to most low-level genjutsu, and that you react strangely to high-level ones when your doujutsu is activated. What I'm about to cast is a B-level technique that should bind your arms and legs to prevent you from moving and cause me to disappear. When cast, attempt to move and catch me."

"Okay."

"Here we go. Magen: Jubaku Satsu."

The name came out like a whisper as Kurenai melted from view. Her Flow stayed in place, and Naruto was about to move to touch her when he found his feet were rooted to the ground. Quite literally in fact; vines and roots had wrapped their way around his legs, crawling higher and higher up his body. As they reached his torso they spread out, twisting and twining into branches, leaves, and various fruits and flowers. When Naruto attempted to yelp in panic, the bark grew over his mouth, silencing him.

Eventually he was swallowed completely into the tree. He was frozen, completely restricted in his movement and not able to do anything to fight back. Is this what a genjutsu mistress could do – make him feel like he was totally helpless? He didn't like it, he didn't like it at all! Her Flow glided back and forth, mocking him, telling him that no matter what, he would never catch its owner.

Just when he felt he couldn't take it anymore, the illusion vanished, and he collapsed to his knees, panting harshly. Kurenai rushed forward, only beaten by Haku, who was already soothingly rubbing the blonde's back while whispering comforting nonsensical words. Kurenai place her hands on both his shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun! I didn't think it would have that much of an effect! When the Hokage said that you were still slightly affected by the illusion, I thought that it was only phantom sensations, not the full effect!"

Naruto took a deep breath of air, glancing at the fretting woman. It felt nice being worried over like this; Kakashi-sensei always said to just suck it up whenever he was hurt during training. Haku's gentle motions on his back were nice as well. He threw a thumbs-up and grinned crookedly. "Eh, that's nothing! I feel great!"

Kurenai gave a sigh of relief. It'd be awful if she broke the young man's mind. Despite his bravado, he was obviously shaken, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. "That's good. But do you see now what I mean about genjutsu being dangerous? You couldn't move at all, right?"

"Nope, but I could still see ya…well, your colors anyway."

"I see…" She stood up and peered over at her team, who had stopped when they saw Naruto had collapsed. She made a comforting gesture and bade they go back to training. They obeyed, and Kurenai turned back to Naruto, who had been helped to his feet by Haku. "Well, now I'm beginning to understand a bit more about your Naitekigan, Naruto-kun. Your eyes bypass any visual corruption and always see where a person is, but the rest of your body is still subject. We'll just have to work on you being able to tell the rest of your body to ignore such incorrect signals."

"Roger!"

She sighed tiredly. Really, maybe he was a bit _too_ lively. "Then let's continue. But let's go with some weaker techniques this time." Her hands began through another series.

RRRRR

"D-doujutsu are ke-kekkai genka-kai that are focused on t-the eyes. Because of this, a doujutsu user's vi-vison is the most im-important thing. So, it's v-very rare that some-someone with a doujutsu has b-bad eyesight."

Naruto was sitting across from Hinata as she stuttered her way through explaining the basics of optical-based bloodlines. Haku had left some time ago, stating that she had to go buy food for dinner. When she was gone, Kiba had immediately pounced on the boy, asking all kinds of questions, common and inappropriate, about the ice beauty. It seemed like the physical facet of him had already pushed out the fear caused by the brunette for _other_ reasons.

Luckily, Kurenai had quickly reprimanded the boy, shooing him away so that Naruto and Hinata could be left undisturbed. Kiba promised he would get the answers out of Naruto later, though.

Naruto nodded absently. It was hard to pay attention to Hinata. He was excited that he was learning more about his Naitekigan, but at the same time he was still not of the demeanor to just sit and listen as someone lectured him. If he was, he would have done a lot better in the academy. Still, the least he could do was put some effort into paying attention, though Hinata's constant halting halfway through her explanations was starting to grate on his nerves.

"Although a doujutsu is st-still pa-passed genetically, the eyes h-hold the most informa-mation on the eye's genetic and phy-physical ch-changes."

"So…if someone stole a Hyuuga's eyes, they could maybe use the Byakugan as well?"

Hinata flinched as though he had stabbed her. Naruto wondered why her face had grown so twisted all of a sudden. Her Flow had taken a deep dive into the darker end of the spectrum, circling into purple, indigo, and black. "Y-yes, th-that's right. So…so lots of clans make s-sure there are ways to keep that fr-from happening."

Naruto decided not to push the issue. If Hinata was bothered by it, and it was obvious she was, then he would just let her keep her secrets. He didn't need to scare the girl anymore than she usually was. "Soo…umm…what about you, Hinata-chan? When did your doujutsu first activate?"

She looked down, her bangs covering her eyes. "No-normally a Hyuuga's Byakugan awakens in early childhood, from f-four to s-six." Her tone became even more melancholy. "I…I was a bit late. Mine didn't awa-awaken until I was eight."

Naruto slapped a hand on the ground. "Still beat me!" he laughed. Hinata looked up at him questioningly. "Mine just activated and I have no _clue_ how the hell it works! So, ya see, you're a lot better than me when it comes to doujutsu!"

A shy smile passed through Hinata's face. "N-Naruto-kun…" She looked him in the face. "Yes!"

For the next hour, the two resumed discussing the nature of optical-based bloodlines, Naruto asking questions whenever he didn't quite understand something and Hinata answering to the best of her ability. When the two took a break to just talk, Hinata took the opportunity to ask something she had wanted to know since he had arrived.

"N-Naruto-kun…?"

He twisted his neck from watching Kiba argue with Akamaru and Shino scrutinize a colony of ants to look at her. "Hmm?"

She poked her fingers together, refusing to meet his eyes. "W-what exactly is your r-relationship with…with Haku-san?"

"Huh? Didn't I say already? We're friends."

Hinata nodded carefully. "Yes…but…you said she w-works for you. W-why would a total stranger just up and m-move to Konoha to work for you?"

Naruto swallowed. He had figured this question would come up eventually, but he never thought the one asking it would be Hinata. She just seemed too shy and proper to be the kind of person to ask about others' personal lives. Still, he had come up with some kind of explanation, and unlike the initial rushed one, this he had been putting actual thought to.

"I kinda sorta caused Haku to lose her job. Her boss was the biggest ass you'll ever meet, but she still cared about him a lot and she took it hard. Umm…I made a rash promise to help her out, and she really took it to heart."

Okay, so it was an extremely watered-down version of what really happened, but it was hard to explain to a person that the person who served you now originally served under a infamous nuke-nin who had attempted a coup d'état of a hidden village.

"Her boss was a retired ninja, so he taught her some moves, and she figured she'd become an actual kunoichi. She took my promise and kinda ran with it. So now she's here in Konoha."

"Oh…" Hinata looked down. She couldn't imagine what kind of relationship they had. Naruto had gotten her fired, but then offered to take care of her afterward. Well, she _could_ imagine _some_ things, but they weren't the type a proper heiress should consider. A heavy blush took over her face as she considered the possibilities. If only _she_ had managed to become connected to Naruto in such a way. Then… "Um…where…where does she live now?" If Haku lived far away, then maybe she still had a chance.

"Oh, we share the same apartment and…" Naruto stopped and slapped a hand over his mouth.

It was too late. Hinata had gone completely wide-eyed, and her blush had deepened to her complexion to maroon. Her fingers were grinding into each other as she looked through Naruto with the Hyuuga equivalent of the thousand-yard stare, which was made all the creepier thanks to her milky, pupil-less eyes.

Naruto was amazed as her Flow flashed through a variety of colors before whirling into a mixture of pink, green, and orange. It whipped around her like a summer monsoon, raining everywhere before crashing upward. It appeared like it wanted to swallow him up, as it kept falling towards him before quickly pulling itself back.

His eyes widened as a stray thought passed through his mind. The hue of colors was strange, but…did it mean…? The blush…the stare…the color scheme that was somehow similar to Kakashi whenever he read those Icha Icha books of his?

"Hinata…are you…thinking of something…naughty?"

"Eep!"

Naruto watched as she slumped to the ground, her eyes still open even though she had passed out.

He blinked as the rest of team eight came running to find out what happened.

"…was that a yes?"

RRRRR

The clinking of chopsticks on ceramic bowls filled the small room. Naruto glanced across the table at Haku, who was slowly and gracefully eating her meal. He chewed on the ends of his chopsticks before reaching for some more rice.

Ever since Haku had arrived, she had made it a rule that they would have at least one meal a day that didn't involve ramen. She had gone on about how ramen 'didn't have the proper nutrients' and that Naruto was currently 'suffering from a calcium deficiency' and the like, but it all went over his head as he considered the _true_ problem – no ramen!

Ramen was his sustenance, his manna, his reason for living. If he couldn't it have three, four, even five times a day, then what was the point? Although it _was_ nice that Haku was asserting herself for once, saying that he had to have a proper diet. And it was great to have someone make him a home-cooked meal. The few meals he had eaten at Ichiraku's that _weren't_ ramen were pleasant and wistful memories for him. Besides, Haku had put all this time and effort making the meals for him, and had even spent part of her salary buying various potteries, appliances, and cooking and eating utensils for them.

After all that, if he couldn't just stop being selfish and appreciate what the girl was doing for him, then he was little more than a villainous cad. What that was exactly he wasn't quite sure, but Sarutobi had used it once or twice so he figured it was bad.

His chopsticks tapped against the bottom of the bowl. He blinked when he realized he had eaten everything while in thought.

Haku looked up from her meal at the sound. "Would you like seconds, Naruto-sama?"

"Umm…sure." He handed the bowl to her, which she soon filled with rice from the rice cooker she'd recently bought, and returned it. With a smile, she returned to her food. Naruto nibbled at his rice a little more before he sighed and placed the bowl and chopsticks down. "Haku?"

"Yes? Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong." He paused. "Well, maybe." Another pause. "I don't know."

She placed her hands in her lap. "Could you maybe tell me? It might help."

Naruto sighed again. "Haku, am I a good ninja?"

Her brows drew together in confusion. "Naruto-sama?"

He rested his chin on a hand, his elbow on the table. "I mean, watching Kurenai-sensei's team really got me thinking. They train in spars, genjutsu, ninjutsu, and all that. Kakashi-sensei barely trains us at all. And when I watched how hard Hinata-chan and the others practice, I can't help but feel like I'm not…good enough." He stared at her, looking for a response. "Ya know?"

Haku was quiet for a couple seconds. When she returned his gaze, her eyes were serious, her mouth drawn into a tight line. "Would you like my honest opinion?"

Naruto swallowed. "Yeah."

She took a deep breath. "Your stamina and chakra reserves far outclass almost any ninja I've ever met or fought. Even Zabuza-san could hardly hold a candle to you in that aspect. Your physical strength is above average, and your aptitude with thrown weapons is normal for a genin. And you are highly unpredictable, which is crucial for a ninja. However…" Naruto involuntarily winced at the inevitable tongue-lashing he was about to receive. "Your chakra control is negligible, hardly worth anything at all. You don't plan ahead, you have no penchant for tactics despite your unexplainable victories, your taijutsu style is crude and will probably get you killed if you fight against someone who is better trained in it, and your capability with genjutsu is not worth mentioning despite your kekkai genkai. You have no variety to your ninjutsu, preferring to spam the only technique you know. You are not quick enough, not precise enough, and you rely too much on your stamina to put any effort into defense."

Naruto felt himself retreating further with every complaint levied at him. He knew he wasn't the best ninja around, Sasuke had always held that title. But he had always felt that he was at least a _good_ ninja. But when he thought about it, what Haku had said was true. If it weren't for Sasuke saving him and the emergence of Kyuubi, _he'd_ be the one lying in a near-death state on the bridge in Wave country.

He laughed sheepishly. "That…that bad, huh?"

"I am sorry, but that is my honest opinion of your abilities."

"Heheheeehhh…" He sighed. "I was afraid of that." He looked up at Haku. She was looking at him sternly but tenderly at the same time. He knew that, despite her being his "tool," she would always remain completely unbiased on the matter of his skill level. In fact, it would make her all the more serious in making him stronger. He mentally braced himself. Well, never let it be said that Naruto Uzumaki was a quitter or let life have the best of him! If he was weak, then he would just simply get stronger! Yeah!

He slammed his hand on the table, causing the bowls and plates to jump. "Haku! Would you…I mean, would it be alright if ya trained me? I want to become stronger, strong enough that I can always protect those close to me!"

She slipped back into her serene smile. "If that is what you wish, Naruto-sama."

"Yeah, it is! And don't go easy on me! Really put the screws ta me!"

"Very well. I will ensure that you will take your training seriously no matter how much pressure it may put on you.."

"Yup!" He grinned, certain that he could take whatever she would dish out at him.

After all, how hard could it be?

RRRRR

"Naruto-sama, please wake up."

Someone was shaking him. He waved a hand in defiance.

"Naruto-sama, it is time to begin training. Please, wake up."

He let out a groan. "Ehhhh…just five more minutes…"

"Very well."

The shaking stopped. Naruto snorted and turned over, pulling the covers further over his head. He was rudely awakened when something cold and wet was dumped on his head. Sputtering unintelligibly, he sat up, wiping away the water that dripped down his face.

"What the?!"

Looking through bleary eyes, he found Haku standing over him with an upturned bucket that still had droplets of water falling from the edges. "Haku?!"

She smiled brightly and placed the bucket on the floor. "Good morning, Naruto-sama. It is time to begin your training for the day."

Naruto groped around for his alarm clock through the twilight of dawn. "What…" He wiped his face with a hand. "What time is it?"

"Six in the morning."

"Six?!" he squawked. "Why the hell am I up so early?! Team meetings don't even happen till eight, and Kakashi-sensei doesn't even show up for another couple hours after that!"

"I first thought to wake you up at five, but I decided I should wait until later, when you have become accustomed to the schedule."

"Five?! No, wait, still…six?!"

"A ninja must always be prepared and use the most of his time for constructive purposes. Since you have team functions later this morning, and training with Kurenai-san and Hinata-kun in the afternoon, I felt that physical training would be best in the early morning."

Naruto accepted the towel Haku offered him and started to dry himself off. "But why not later tonight?"

"That time has been reserved for studying psychology, as well as a few medical pointers."

Naruto froze. Horror began to well up in the whole of his being as he heard the dreaded "S" word. "But…but what am I going to use _that_ for?"

"As your Naitekigan deals with the mental facets of the human body, the psychology will help your ascertain more on its uses and overall construction. As for the medicine, although you do not have the control needed for a medic-nin, learning which herbs can be used for healing injuries or curing poison is always helpful, and knowing which parts of the body can be manipulated to disable your enemy is vital as well."

Naruto watched with trepidation as Haku laid out breakfast and a change of clothes for him, humming a soft tune all the while. Haku _always_ let him have ramen for breakfast. This was _not_ ramen. She was also dressed up in her shinobi clothing, _not_ her customary yukata. Haku was _serious_ in how she was going to train him, and he was going to follow her lead like a _good_ student.

He tittered nervously as he felt his life fade away. "I'm going to regret asking you to teach me, aren't I?"

Haku smiled, that brilliant smile that spoke of so much love and affection and downright _niceness_. "Yes, Naruto-sama."

He was in hell.

RRRRR

"So, erm, what are we supposed to be doing here?"

Naruto cased the training grounds they were supposed to practice in. It consisted of wide open plains with a small lake taking up about a third of its area. He and Haku were currently by the deep part of the lakeside, Haku placing down a variety of objects ranging from shuriken, senbon, iron balls, and even a small straw basket. When she was sure everything was in its proper place, she turned back to and addressed Naruto.

"The first part of your training will be to increase your mobility so you will not be caught so easily in combat, and also to teach you a few new jutsu."

Naruto jumped up at the prospect of learning new techniques. "Awesome! Let's get to it then!" If this was what he could look forward to, then bring on the dearth of ramen and the unsavory (and probably painful) training!

Haku giggled at his enthusiasm. "Very well." She pulled a small slip of paper out of her gi's pocket. "Here, channel some chakra through here and we'll discover your elemental affinity."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "Elemental affizuhwha?

"Elemental affinity is what a shinobi has that determines what kind of elemental chakra they can use the easiest. I visited ojii-sama last night, and he gave me this special chakra that will reveal what your affinity is. Mine are water and wind thanks to my Hyouton bloodline limit, meaning that I can use water and wind jutsus much more easily than any other kind."

"So…this will tell me what kinds of jutsus I can use?" Naruto tried to reason.

"At first, but with enough training you can learn to use every type of elemental jutsu."

"All right! Then let's get started!" Naruto placed his hand on the paper slip and channeled a little bit of chakra into it. It split neatly down the middle. "Huh, what does that mean?"

"It means that you are a wind-type," Haku said, placing the used slip back in her pocket. "That is a good thing. It means I can teach you the few techniques that I already know. Though I primarily work in water jutsu, I do know a few low-level wind ones."

"Great! So, what do I learn first? Can I cut a boulder in half, or how about blowing over an entire forest?!" Naruto was salivating at the idea of what he could do.

Haku smiled. "The first thing to learn is how to walk on water."

Naruto's eyes stopped shimmering and drool stopped tricking out of the corner of his mouth. "What does that have to do with learning wind jutsu?"

"It doesn't. It has to do with you learning better chakra control."

Naruto gaped. Then…then she…He stomped his foot on the ground for good measure and shouted. "Then what was the point of me doing the whole elemen-whatever paper thing?!"

Haku raised an arm to her mouth to muffle her laugh. "For preparation. I needed to know what your affinity was so I could get ready whichever jutsu you could use. Finding out that you are a wind-type just makes it easier for me." She laughed again at Naruto's pout, her voice like the tinkling of a bell. "Oh, please do not scowl, Naruto-sama. Learning how to water-walk will only help you."

Naruto frowned and crossed his arms. "Oh really? How?"

"You already learned how to tree-walk in Wave, correct?" He rolled his eyes. How could he forget? Him passing out from exhaustion because of tree-walking was how they first met. "Water-walking is simply the next step up. By learning to do so, you will not only learn how to conquer difficult terrain when in a environment such as Water country, but it will make it all the more easy to use your jutsu since your control over them will be better."

Naruto heaved a great sigh. It wasn't like he had much of a choice in the matter. If he wanted to get better, he had to listen to Haku. After all, it had been _him_ that asked her to train him, not the other way around. "Okay, Haku. I'll do it."

She smiled again. "Very good, Naruto-sama." She began towards the lake. "Water-walking is much more complex that tree-walking. When using chakra to stick to a tree, you are only moving on a solid surface, so you must only learn how to exude a constant amount of chakra." As she continued talking, she placed a foot on the lake's surface. Naruto watched in awe as she moved about twenty feet from the water's edge, but still seemed as composed as though she was on solid ground. "However, water is constantly moving, it never stays in one place. Because of this, you must constantly monitor your flow of chakra to match the buoyancy needed to stay afloat. This requires much more concentration and attention to detail, as expelling too much or too little chakra will always end with you sinking."

"Cool…" Naruto immediately discarded his pervious notion of this being boring. If he could walk on water then he could walk anywhere! He'd be like a frickin' spider, sticking to any surface possible! "K, let's do this! First gather chakra to the feet and…"

He took one step onto the lake…and fell right in.

"Gyaaaahhh!"

He scrambled out of the water as quickly as possible, his teeth chattering. The water was freezing! It was near the end of spring, but he could have sworn the water was like it was in the middle of winter. Over his shivering he could hear Haku's melodious laughter. He glared at her.

She covered her grin with her arm again. "I forgot to mention that I lowered the temperature of the water with my Hyouton to just above 0°C. It should act as motivation to master this lesson sooner." For the first time, Naruto noticed that there was a thin sheet of frost underneath Haku's feet that spread out about a meter or so in every direction.

He grimaced and readied himself for the next try. Unbeknownst to him, his mind was mirroring the same thought Zabuza had considered not too long ago.

_She is such a sadistic little brat._

RRRRR

Night was always the worst.

_Ten little ninja, dancing oh so fine. Along came a raccoon, and then there were nine._

He could never escape the dark.

_Nine little ninja, standing at the gate. Along came a tiger, and then there were eight._

It chased him, hunted him down, never let him go.

_Eight little ninja, singing up to heaven. Along came a turtle, and then there were seven._

No matter how hard he struggled, how much he fought back, it didn't make a difference.

_Seven little ninja, making candle wicks. Along came a monkey, and then there were six._

The darkness swallowed him up, laughing in cruel, maddening joy at his plummet into the unknown.

_Six little ninja, collecting honey from a hive. Along came a horse, and then there were five._

At least during the day he could escape the stares, the hate, the unrivaled _loathing_ that followed him everywhere.

_Five little ninja, watching the rain pour. Along came a slug, and then there were four._

But not during the night. The night always brought things back and forced him to relive it all.

_Four little ninja, hiding in a tree. Along came a beetle, and then there were three._

All those people that lost those dear to them, all those that suffered on the whim of a demon.

_Three little ninja, wondering what to do. Along came an ox, and then there were two._

And he knew why. It was hard not to when he saw it every time he closed his eyes.

_Two little ninja, no longer having fun. Along came a great fox, and then there was one._

The visage of the beast glowering at him.

_One little ninja, looking for his home. No matter where you go, little nin, you'll always be alone._

Naruto woke with a start, sweat pouring down his face. A nightmare…only a nightmare. That's all it was…really.

A wave of nausea struck him, and he scrambled away from his futon on the floor and towards the bathroom, slamming the door open without care for who it woke. He dunked his head in the toilet not a moment too soon as he emptied the contents of his stomach. He coughed violent as the bile burned its way up and down his esophagus.

Spitting out what was left in his mouth, he flushed the toilet. Standing up, Naruto stumbled to the sink, flipping the water on. He gathered a handful and gargled his mouth, trying to clean it of that disgusting taste. He repeated the motion until he was sure it was all gone and then turned the faucet back off.

He coughed again, wiping his mouth with a sleeve, and looked in the mirror. His face was haggard, spittle hanging from his lips. He furiously wiped at his mouth again to rid it of the drool. He sighed again and hung his head in thought.

It had been a while since he'd had those dreams. They'd plagued him all the time when he was little, being hated by the village folk without knowing why. He cried himself to sleep, and woke up crying almost every night. After a while, he had grown tired of it all, and just stopped. He just stopped crying; it was doing him no good and wasn't helping any, so he stopped.

The nightmares had ceased soon after that.

But now…now they were coming back with a vengeance. Perhaps not as hard or as frequently as when he was young, but they were clearer now and hurt even more because of that.

That song…It was a children's poem sung by ninja – "The Ten Little Ninja." At first it just seemed a bit creepy, but it was suitable for introducing early on the dangers of being a ninja. But now…Naruto knew the true meaning of the song, why it echoed deep within his heart, and why it continued to exist despite being centuries old.

Bijuu and the jinchuuriki.

He rubbed his face with a balled-up fist. The reason that song had come to mind was all thanks to his Naitekigan. He had come to use it to look at various people and how their Flows differed from each other. When he was in Wave, the people had such a rich variety of colors and hues and shapes. Naruto wanted to see if the same held true for those in Konoha.

What awaited him was worse than any punch or kick in the gut had ever been. The Flows seemed normal at first, but as soon as he had caught the villagers' attentions, everything had gone all wrong.

A dark mixture of ebony and crimson. _That_ was what greeted him with every face turned his way. He didn't need to know much about psychology or whatever to know what it meant – pure, unadulterated hatred.

It was one thing to _know_ that most of Konoha hated him; it was another thing completely to _see_ their resentment.

Dark, rich, and all-consuming.

He chuckled bitterly as he made his way back to his futon. He wasn't surprised to see Haku up and looking at him from her bed, her eyes filled with concern. "Is there something wrong, Naruto-sama?"

He looked at her. Naruto still hadn't revealed his secret of being the human container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune to Haku, even after all the time spent with her. He was still afraid, still so uncertain as to how she would react. Would she hate him? Fear him? Would she run away after discovering just who and _what_ he was?

…no, Haku wouldn't do that. Haku would understand. Haku would know who he was, not who he held inside him.

Naruto gripped the ends of his sleeves. "Actually," he started, his voice low. "There is something I want to tell you."

Haku shifted so that she was facing him, her legs still underneath the sheets. "What is it?"

"Promise me you'll listen to me all the way through before you say anything?" His tone was cautious, hopeful, vulnerable.

"Of course."

"Okay, well, it's like this…" He cursed himself for not sounding stronger, not resolute enough, but went on.

He told Haku everything. About how the Kyuubi had attacked Konoha, about how the Yondaime had sacrificed his life to defeat it, about how Sarutobi had made a law forbidding the citizens of Konoha to reveal the sealing, about how the citizens still hated him regardless – shunned him, ignored him, _erased_ his existence…_everything_.

"So…I'm _not_ the Kyuubi, but it's still _inside_ me, and…and…" He let out a shuddering breath, his will depleted. He had put all that he was into that speech, and he could only hope it wouldn't end in disaster.

He wanted – no – _needed_ her to accept him.

Haku said nothing. Her expression had not changed from its peaceful state the entire time Naruto had talked. As he waited with bated breath, she simply smiled at him – that same eternal smile.

"There is no need to worry, Naruto-sama. You are you, and no demon or entity can make me think otherwise. I will always follow you, regardless of what others will think or believe, even into the very depths of hell itself." She took his slightly shaking hands into her own. "Please do not ever think I will ever doubt you. You are my master, and I will believe in you always."

Naruto's mouth cracked open, canines slipping through as he chortled brokenly. "Thank…thank you, Haku."

"You are very welcome, Naruto-sama." With that, she slipped back into bed, falling into slumber.

Naruto regarded her silently before he slipped back into his own futon. His mouth, however, had melted into a grim frown. The rings spun lazily through his eyes, swirling like a whirlpool.

He had _watched_ her. Not once had her Flow changed. He expected at least surprise or disbelief or…_something_ to show up in her emotional rainbow, but there was no break or confusion. Her Flow had stayed the way it had always been – a sapphire blue that curled around and fell through. Not the tiniest change in colors, not even when she comforted him.

Blue, always forever blue.

She had accepted him, but the declaration had felt empty, unreal.

Hollow.

Naruto closed his eyes.

The night dragged on.

A/N: And that's the end of chapter 3. Been a while, but I finally got this done. On a side note, I revised chapters 1 and 2 to take away the silliness and make it more serious. The more I thought about this fic, the more I realized Naruto's power would make this plot more dramatic than funny. Speaking of which, yes, it has now been revealed – the Naitekigan, able to see emotions. An odd matching with Naruto, yes? Anyway, you've begun to see the fleshed-out relationships between the characters as well as the problems they invariably have. Not everything is as nice as it seems…

Oh yeah, and the harem members have been decided! But I'm not gonna say who…Nyeh! …okay, maybe one hint. Three real members and one fake. Whoever shall it be? I'll say this, the fake harem member will…No more! Figure it out on your own! In any case, Please Review, and remember, no flames!

_Next Chapter – Of Wood and Iron_


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